Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies Seminar on Castro

Cuban-Americans and the Cuban exile community should not raise their hopes for a free and democratic Cuba now that Fidel Castro has stepped down. With the election of his brother, Raul, as president, the outlook for political and social change on the island remains bleak. That was the prognosis of a panel of four University of Miami experts on Cuba that met Monday, February 25, 2008, to discuss recent developments out of that country.

The four panelists, scholars of UM’s Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies (ICCAS), held an hour-long press conference at Casa Bacardi on the Coral Gables campus, attracting local and national print and broadcast journalists. The panelists included, from right to left, Jaime Suchlicki, ICCAS director and professor of history; Brian Latell, senior research associate at the institute and a former CIA national intelligence officer for Latin America; Andy S. Gomez, senior fellow and an assistant provost; and José Azel, senior research associate. The four have been in high demand recently, granting interviews to many local and national publications and appearing on English- and Spanish-language television.