Opinion | Editorials

Change is not on agenda in Cuba

Raul must show that he is capable of running the country with a degree of competence.

  • Gulf News
  • Published: 23:40 February 25, 2008
  • Gulf News

The last time Cuba experienced a change of president, Dwight Eisenhower was in the Oval Office and a young politician called Jack Kennedy was getting ready to seek his party's nomination.

Now another Castro has taken power and a young politician seeking the Democratic nomination reminds people of JFK.

The 76-year-old defence minister, Raul Castro, took power in a choreographed ceremony which cast his unseen brother in the role of state icon, but no longer the public face of the revolution.

The more they change in Cuba the more they stay the same and at least for the next few months there is very little change on the agenda.

Raul must show that he is capable of running the country with a degree of competence, hardly the time to usher in sweeping change. That will come with another generation of political leadership in both Havana and Washington.


Opinion Editor's choice
  • Keep meddlers out of Egypt
    Egyptians must reject foreign meddling
    By Tariq Ramadan, 
Special to Gulf News

    Presidential election may turn out to be less a new chapter in a democratic future than an old chapter complete with a stage-managed outcome

  • Liberals surrender gains to Islamists
    Moderates may gift Egypt to Islamists
    By Linda S. Heard, 
Special to Gulf News

    Liberals cannot afford to sit at home or in cafes watching queues lengthen outside polling stations. They must quit complaining and vote with their feet

  • Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki
    Is Al Maliki serious about democracy and more words?
    By Mohammad Akef Jamal, 
Special to Gulf News

    He is pushing towards a military showdown with the Kurds at a time when they are stronger than ever before

Speak Your Mind

Do people make sacrifices just to make money?