March 13, 2019

Cuba after Castro

New York City - Invite Only

Transatlantic Forum

The French-American Foundation welcomed Roseann Lake, Cuba Correspondent at The Economist, for an in-depth discussion about Cuba and its relationship with the United States. Below is an excerpt provided by Ms. Lake on the subject of the Transatlantic Forum.

“Cuba has a new president, a new constitution, and as of December, it has enabled access to 3G mobile networks. Its citizens are more connected than ever before, and yet the economy is in dire straits, thanks in part to the economic and political instability in Venezuela; a longtime benefactor to the island. The relationship between the US and Cuba has also taken a hit following mysterious sonic attacks on American diplomats in Havana. Domestically, Cuban politicians consistently fail to enact the economic reforms necessary to allow the private sector to flourish. Efforts to unify the dual currency system and make the bloated state sector more efficient have also been underwhelming. Youth are becoming disenchanted, foreign investors are frustrated, and yet, there are a few bright spots on the horizon. After sixty years of revolution, what comes next?” 

Roseann Lake: Roseann Lake is The Economist’s Cuba Correspondent and was previously based in Beijing, China, where she became fascinated with the lives of 剩女 or “leftover women” – women who have failed to get married by their culturally imposed sell by date of 27. Inspired by this trailblazing population of Chinese women, they became the subject of her first book, Leftover in China: The Women Shaping the World’s Next Superpower (WW Norton).


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