Category Archives: Cuba

Reading the god-given tea leaves

Posted on May 21, 2013 by

Let’s recap Monday’s events: A conversation is leaked between Mario Silva and a Cuban intelligence operative, in which it is made clear that the Maduro faction in this government is heavily influenced by the Cubans. In it, Silva suggests that … Continue reading →

Posted in Cuba, Diosdado Cabello, Nicolas Maduro | 88 Comments

Who is Maduro?

Posted on April 13, 2013 by

My take on the big, fat question mark we may be electing tomorrow – over at Transitions, by Foreign Policy. An excerpt: One of the failures in this campaign is that we have yet to learn much about Maduro’s life … Continue reading →

Posted in Cuba, Nicolas Maduro, Politics | 9 Comments

To recall is to live

On February 5th, 1992, Caldera sided with Chávez and Fidel Castro sided with Carlos Andrés Pérez. I’ve always been struck by what a grubby, squalid little Myth of Origin the putsch of February 4th makes. Next the glories of the Sierra … Continue reading →

Image | Posted on February 4, 2013 by | Tagged | 30 Comments

The cost of Cuban “expertise”

Posted on January 17, 2013 by

As the ongoing electric crisis continues, this blog reported last September how Cuba was helping the national electric company CORPOELEC handle the numerous problems of our power grid system. Today, an article in the Valencia newspaper Notitarde gives us an … Continue reading →

Posted in Cuba, Electric Crisis, The Economy | 44 Comments

Schrödinger’s President

Posted on January 3, 2013 by

Over on the IHT, I meditate on what a long, strange week it’s been… Given the impenetrability of Cuban state secrecy, it’s hard not to speculate that even if the president has already died, we would have no way of … Continue reading →

Posted in Chavez cancer, Cuba, Politics | 88 Comments

Is stupidity a pre-existing condition?

Posted on October 30, 2012 by

A few readers criticized me for implying, in a previous post, that the more educated you are, the less likely it is (or should be) that you are chavista. Putting aside the obvious correlation that leads me to this, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Cuba | 36 Comments

The cost of Venezuela’s oil discounts

Posted on July 19, 2012 by

$100 billion. That’s how much oil discounts have cost Venezuela since 1999, according to estimations by a group of oil researchers who go by the name of Subaeshi. Now, you may wonder what business I have quoting some random group … Continue reading →

Posted in Cuba, Oil, Politics | 31 Comments

The Machurucuto Incident

Posted on May 10, 2012 by

It’s not just a great name for a band: 45 years ago this week, a group of Cuban and Cuban-trained Venezuelan guerrillas actually tried to invade Venezuela by sea through Machurucuto (just east of Higuerote). Machurucuto was a kind of … Continue reading →

Posted in Cuba, History | 24 Comments

Chronicles of Subtle Headline Arrangement

Posted on February 26, 2012 by
Posted in Cuba | Tagged | 32 Comments

Chávez to undergo surgery, again

Posted on February 21, 2012 by

After disappearing for a few days (and leaving in his trail a swathe of rumours about his health), President Hugo Chávez reappeared today in what appeared to be a live broadcast from his home state of Barinas. In a dramatic … Continue reading →

Posted in Chavez cancer, Cuba | 89 Comments

Treason.jpg

Posted on October 13, 2011 by

The Cuban flag proudly waves next to the Venezuelan tricolor inside a Venezuelan military compound. HT: Memo Arocha, photo courtesy of El Carabobeño. PS: Busy today with work, so a short post, but this picture is worth a thousand posts. … Continue reading →

Posted in Cuba, Military | 27 Comments