Word: varela
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...years of history demonstrates that the embargo has done nothing to curtail these abuses, and increased contact with democratic societies like the U. S. might whet the Cuban people’s appetite for freedom. Several small steps have already been taken, the most prominent being Project Varela, a petition signed by 11,000 Cubans seeking a referendum on increased civil liberties and the release of political prisoners...
Instead of talking about biotechnology, Carter should use his visit to increase the pressure on Castro regarding Project Varela. Carter has the opportunity to make great progress towards increasing freedom in Cuba by pressing Castro for a national referendum on the issues the petition raises...
...free trade is opened between America and Cuba. But Roca was released only two months early from a five-year sentence, and of course the amnesty was perfectly timed for the media-frenzied visit by former president Jimmy Carter. The Staff’s naive optimism notwithstanding, the Varela referendum will not be honored or upheld by Castro. In fact, the government is already harassing many of its signatories. Castro’s recent actions are media-savvy, but they are not real steps in the right direction. The free trade Castro enjoys with Canada and Europe has not softened...
...While it remains extremely unlikely that the Varela demands would be adopted, it's a sign of an emerging civil society in Cuba challenging the communist party's monopoly on power. That's a development that has been consciously encouraged by the Catholic Church in the years since Pope John Paul II's historic 1998 visit. And for now, at least, Castro appears inclined to reluctantly tolerate such activity. His objective in doing so may be simply to create a veneer of acceptability for his regime in the face of human rights criticisms, but the process may nonetheless...
...fought him for decades, but it also creates something of a crisis for them - as well as for Washington. Right now neither Washington nor Miami have much access to the political dynamic on the island that will play a significant role in shaping post-Castro Cuba. The Varela project caught Castro unawares, but it may have done the same to the Miami leadership. And while the Miami leadership has made maintaining the embargo the centerpiece of their activism, most of the Cuba-based dissidents tend to oppose...