Word: havana
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...indicate support for that is fading fast, too, especially as more young Cuban Americans and recently arrived Cuban immigrants register to vote - they no longer see the travel ban as an inseparable component. In fact, they see lifting the ban as a way to throw a bigger ball into Havana's court, one that might oblige current Cuban President Raul Castro, Fidel's younger brother, to release more jailed dissidents or make other reform gestures...
...internationally televised concert in Havana's Revolution Plaza on Sunday, Sept. 20, Colombian rock superstar Juanes looked out at a crowd of more than 1 million and shouted, "Cuba libre! Cuba libre!" (Free Cuba!) It was a mantra you could take two ways: If you're a fan of Cuba's communist government, it was a cry to keep the island safe from U.S. imperialism. If you're a foe, it was a plea for the political and economic freedoms that Fidel Castro and his brother, current President Raúl Castro, have muzzled for 50 years...
...Pigs, and I've been fighting the Castros for 50 years," says Francisco (Pepe) Hernandez, 73, president of the Cuban-American National Foundation in Miami, which backed Juanes' efforts despite protests by more hard-line exiles that included smashing the singer's CDs in Little Havana. "But it was tremendous to see Juanes sing about freedom in that plaza to the new generation of Cubans. We've thought for too long that we could topple the government in Cuba from here in Miami, but we have to approach it more from the bottom up by taking this kind of thing...
...Obama has pledged to thaw U.S.-Cuba affairs as a way to promote democracy on the island. Though he favors keeping intact the 47-year-old trade embargo against Cuba, he eliminated restrictions on travel to Cuba for Cuban-American families, and his Administration is now in talks with Havana about improving immigration and postal service between the two countries. Erikson says the concert by Juanes, who lives in Miami, was a reminder of the "soft power tool kit" the U.S. should wield more often. "Obama needs to bring more of that kind of cultural diplomacy back into the arena...
...What They're Unplugging in Cuba: The Obama Administration has taken down a 5-ft.-high (1.5 m) electronic news ticker, installed under President George W. Bush at a low point in diplomatic relations, from the windows of the American mission in Havana. The sign, used to annoy Cuban officials with pro-democracy messages, had been blocked by Fidel Castro with massive black flags. According to American University professor Robert A. Pastor, the act of goodwill "has permitted both sides to act like mature adults...