Oil

Slow and cautious transitional measures

January 15, 2012

Stratfor‘s 2012 forecast for Cuba: Cuba’s slow and cautious transitional measures can be expected to continue in 2012. Key reforms such as making credit and private property available to individuals are under way, and similar reforms, including attempts to loosen travel restrictions, can be expected in the next year. Cuba’s ultimate international challenge is to balance the [...]

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Key political risks to watch

January 4, 2012

Reuters‘ near term alert to key politcal risks to monitor in Cuba: Resolution of outstanding short-term debt. Signs of increased interest in foreign investment. U.S. inspection of drilling rig. Results of Repsol’s exploratory well. U.S. pressure to stop the drilling. Furthermore, on international relations: A planned Papal visit in March and improved ties with Brazil are bright [...]

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Cuba in 2012

November 30, 2011

I received today The Economist‘s The World in 2012 issue, whereby it forecasts the following for Cuba: Market forces and private enterprise will take on a greater role in the economy, under the strict guidance of Cuba’s Communist Party. It aims to shift 1m workers off state payrolls over the coming years, phase out rationing [...]

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Cuba’s offshore oil development

August 2, 2011

The U.S. Congressional Research Service published last month a report entitled “Cuba’s Offshore Oil Development: Background and U.S. Policy Considerations.” If oil is found, some experts estimate that it would take at least three to five years before production would begin. While it is unclear whether offshore oil production could result in Cuba becoming a [...]

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Searching for new lifelines

July 7, 2011

The Economist on Raul Castro pinning hope of economic independence from Venezuela through oil exploration off Cuban coastal waters. Just when they were beginning to get used to the daunting prospect of life without Fidel Castro, Cubans are now being forced to consider another, even more daunting, possibility: life without Hugo Chávez. Venezuela’s president may well make [...]

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The geological solution

November 20, 2010

via The Economist‘s Americas blog: For years, international Cuba watchers have predicted two possible solutions to the island’s economic problems. The “biological solution” is the death of Fidel Castro. The “geological solution” is a major oil discovery in Cuba’s section of the Gulf of Mexico. Most have assumed that biology would win. So far, neither [...]

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