CUBAN COMMUNISTS ENSURE OMAMA’S VISIT INCREASES THE PEOPLE’S PAIN

Last week, the congress of the Cuban Communist Party convened to elect party leaders and shape economic policy. The Obama administration and many of its supporters expressed hope that this gathering, coming on the heels of the recent diplomatic thaw with the United States, would mark a new beginning for the isolated island nation. But the party bosses made clear that things won’t be changing any time soon. When President Obama made his historic visit to Cuba last month, he was criticized for once again giving legitimacy to a repressive government and getting nothing in return. Cuba’s human rights record and economic privation are considered unacceptable by many to merit the U.S. offer of diplomatic ...