The Dynamics of the Economic and Political Transformation in Cuba under Raul Castro: Change and Continuity

After Raul Castro became President of Cuba in 2008, a number of changes have taken place in Cuba under the official catchphrases of “updating of the economic model” and transforming the economic and political system into a “prosperous and sustainable socialism”. Behind these phrases is the tacit recognition that the main threats to Cuba do not come from outside the nation, as for example the US  government’s hostility and economic sanctions, but from the Revolution’s own successes and failures. The lecture will advance some answers on what is happening and what to expect from this transition period in Cuba, a country only 90 miles away from Florida and the United States’ third closest neighbor.

Carlos Alzugaray Treto (Havana, 1943) holds a PhD, Historical Sciences from the University of Havana (1997). His main area of expertise is in the history and theory of international relations, although he has also written essays on political science. At present he is book review editor at Temas, a Cuban social science and humanities journal. He is also a member of the Social and Historical Literature Section of the Cuban Writers Association, affiliated with the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC). He served previously in the Cuban Foreign Service from 1961-1996 and as a Professor and Researcher at the Higher Institute for International Relations and the University of Havana in Cuba (1996-2012). His last diplomatic post was Ambassador, Head of Mission to the European Union. From 1992-1994 he was Adviser on Global Political Affairs to Foreign Ministers Ricardo Alarcón and Roberto Robaina. Between 2000 and 2004 he was Vice Rector and from 2004 to 2007 Department Head and Coordinator of Strategic Studies, Higher Institute of International Relations, Havana, Cuba. He has written 4 books and more than 75 academic essays. He has received several Cuban awards for his writing and teaching. In 2012 he won a competitive scholarship from CLACSO (Consejo Latinoamericano de Ciencias Sociales) for his project on the history and theory of regional integration and its implications for Latin America and the Caribbean. In 2013 he received recognition from the Casa de las Américas Literary Prize in Havana for his essay about Cuban-US diplomatic relations in 1959-1961. He has been a Visiting Professor or Scholar at Universities in Spain, Canada, the United States, Italy, and Mexico. In 2001 he was Marvin Weissberg Chair in International Relations at Beloit College, Beloit, Wisconsin. He has served in the Executive Committee of ALACIP (Asociación Latinoamericana de Ciencia Política) from 2002 to 2008. He also served as member, Cuban Academy of Sciences from 2002 to 2010. He is member of the Executive Committee of the Cuba Section, Latin American Studies Association.