Word: havana
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Misael Orduna Cecilda, a 24-year-old ice-cream vendor from Havana, made an unsuccessful break for it three weeks ago. He sprinted 25 yds. to the edge of a steep cliff, then jumped into the bay. The swirling currents quickly sapped his strength. He waved to a Coast Guard cutter to hoist him aboard. "The problem is, our goal was get to the U.S. as fast as possible," said Cecilda, fingering a scar on his left leg where he cut himself on the barbed wire. "Now we're stuck here, and all we can do is think about...
While Fidel, 67, remains Cuba's ideologue of yesteryear, Raul, 63, has emerged as today's pragmatist. After the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 cost Havana its main trading partner, Fidel has only grudgingly opened the door to dollar-toting tourists and foreign investors, begun shrinking the army and bureaucracy, and allowed Cubans a taste of private enterprise. But monthly rations barely provide enough food for two weeks. The Cuban army, in touch with grass-roots sentiment through its conscripts and ties with local militias, started telling Raul of widespread grumbling among the hungry populace...
Raul's ideas of reform are not necessarily the ones Western democracies would choose for Cuba. Basically, Havana is turning increasingly large chunks of the economy over to the military. Although it is rare to see uniformed soldiers on the street, Raul's troops are involved in every aspect of the economy, from running plants to planting food. The general has plugged military men loyal to him -- some retired, some still active -- into influential positions. Professional soldiers who once earned battle medals as mercenaries in Angola and Ethiopia are now assigned to repair city pipelines, build tourist hotels and direct...
...farmer markets. The Youth Labor Army, a paramilitary force of conscripts, devotes most of its time to farming. Since civilians were pilfering up to 75% of food shipments, soldiers now guard deliveries. The army's construction company, Union de Empresas Constructoras, is building tourist facilities in Varadero and Havana...
...replaced half the Communist Party's first secretaries in the provinces this summer with young, pro-army party men. "To the average Cuban it looks like Raul has taken over, with Fidel held for special occasions, public relations and international events," says a party member. Some political analysts in Havana even talk of Fidel becoming a figurehead and letting others carry out reforms the staunch communist finds repugnant. Of course, with Raul spearheading the changes, Fidel is better insulated if they fail...