Obama and Sanchez

Yoani Sanchez, 34, is one of the most celebrated bloggers in the world. She lives in Havana, Cuba. Sanchez’s work has been awarded numerous awards by the European Union, and various media outlets in the United States. Here is a posting of the interview, via e-mail, between President Barack Obama and Sanchez.

Thank you for this opportunity to exchange views with you and your readers in Cuba and around the world and congratulations on receiving the Maria Moore Cabot Prize award from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism for coverage of Latin America that furthers inter-American understanding. You richly deserve the award. I was disappointed you were denied the ability to travel to receive the award in person.
Your blog provides the world a unique window into the realities of daily life in Cuba. It is telling that the Internet has provided you and other courageous Cuban bloggers with an outlet to express yourself so freely, and I applaud your collective efforts to empower fellow Cubans to express themselves through the use of technology. The government and people of the United States join all of you in looking forward to the day all Cubans can freely express themselves in public without fear and without reprisals.

QUESTION #1. FOR YEARS, CUBA HAS BEEN A U.S. FOREIGN POLICY ISSUE AS WELL AS A DOMESTIC ONE, IN PARTICULAR BECAUSE OF THE LARGE CUBAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY. FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, IN WHICH OF THE TWO CATEGORIES SHOULD THE CUBAN ISSUE FIT?

All foreign policy issues involve domestic components, especially issues concerning neighbors like Cuba from which the United States has a large immigrant population and with which we have a long history of relations. Our commitment to protect and support free speech, human rights, and democratic governance at home and around the world also cuts across the foreign policy/domestic policy divide. Also, many of the challenges shared by our two countries, including migration, drug trafficking, and economic issues, involve traditional domestic and foreign policy concerns. Thus, U.S. relations with Cuba are rightly seen in both a foreign and domestic policy context.

QUESTION 2: SHOULD YOUR ADMINISTRATION BE WILLING TO PUT AN END TO THIS DISPUTE, WOULD IT RECOGNIZE THE LEGITIMACY OF THE RAUL CASTRO GOVERNMENT AS THE ONLY VALID INTERLOCUTOR IN THE EVENTUAL TALKS?

As I have said before, I am prepared to have my administration engage with the Cuban government on a range of issues of mutual interest as we have already done in the migration and direct mail talks. It is also my intent to facilitate greater contact with the Cuban people, especially among divided Cuban families, which I have done by removing U.S. restrictions on family visits and remittances.
We seek to engage with Cubans outside of government as we do elsewhere around the world, as the government, of course, is not the only voice that matters in Cuba. We take every opportunity to interact with the full range of Cuban society and look forward to the day when the government reflects the freely expressed will of the Cuban people.

QUESTION 3: HAS THE U.S. GOVERNMENT RENOUNCED THE USE OF MILITARY FORCE AS THE WAY TO END THE DISPUTE?

The United States has no intention of using military force in Cuba. The United States supports increased respect for human rights and for political and economic freedoms in Cuba, and hopes that the Cuban government will respond to the desire of the Cuban people to enjoy the benefits of democracy and be able to freely determine Cuba's future. Only the Cuban people can bring about positive change in Cuba and it is our hope that they will soon be able to exercise their full potential.

QUESTION 4: RAUL CASTRO HAS SAID PUBLICLY THAT HE IS OPEN TO DISCUSS ANY TOPIC WITH THE U.S. PROVIDED THERE IS MUTUAL RESPECT AND A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD. IS RAUL ASKING TOO MUCH?

For years, I have said that it is time to pursue direct diplomacy, without preconditions, with friends and foes alike. I am not interested, however, in talking for the sake of talking. In the case of Cuba, such diplomacy should create opportunities to advance the interests of the United States and the cause of freedom for the Cuban people.
We have already initiated a dialogue on areas of mutual concern - safe, legal, and orderly migration, and reestablishing direct mail service. These are small steps, but an important part of a process to move U.S.-Cuban relations in a new and more positive, direction. Achieving a more normal relationship, however, will require action by the Cuban government.

QUESTION 5: IN A HYPOTHETICAL U.S.-CUBA DIALOGUE, WOULD YOU ENTERTAIN PARTICIPATION FROM THE CUBAN EXILE COMMUNITY, THE CUBA-BASED OPPOSITION GROUPS AND NASCENT CUBAN CIVIL SOCIETY GROUPS?

When considering any policy decision, it is critical to listen to as many diverse voices as possible. When it comes to Cuba, we do exactly that. The U.S. government regularly talks with groups and individuals inside and outside of Cuba that have an interest in our relations. Many do not always agree with the Cuban government; many do not always agree with the United States government; and many do not agree with each other. What we should all be able to agree on moving forward is the need to listen to the concerns of Cubans who live on the island. This is why everything you are doing to project your voice is so important - not just for the advancement of the freedom of expression itself, but also for people outside of Cuba to gain a better understanding of the life, struggles, joys, and dreams of Cubans on the island.

QUESTION 6: YOU STRONGLY SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES. BUT, CUBANS CONTINUE TO HAVE LIMITED ACCESS TO THE INTERNET. HOW MUCH OF THIS IS DUE TO THE U.S. EMBARGO AND HOW MUCH OF IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CUBAN GOVERNMENT?

My administration has taken important steps to promote the free flow of information to and from the Cuban people particularly through new technologies. We have made possible greater telecommunications links to advance interaction between Cuban citizens and the outside world. This will increase the means through which Cubans on the island can communicate with each other and with persons outside of Cuba, for example, by expanding opportunities for fiber optic and satellite transmissions to and from Cuba. This will not happen overnight. Nor will it have its full effect without positive actions by the Cuban government. I understand the Cuban government has announced a plan to provide Cubans greater access to the Internet at post offices. I am following this development with interest and urge the government to allow its people to enjoy unrestricted access to the internet and to information. In addition, we welcome suggestions regarding areas in which we can further support the free flow of information within, from, and to Cuba.

QUESTION 7: WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO TRAVEL TO OUR COUNTRY?

I would never rule out a course of action that could advance the interests of the United States and advance the cause of freedom for the Cuban people. At the same time, diplomatic tools should only be used after careful preparation and as part of a clear strategy. I look forward to visit a Cuba in which all citizens enjoy the same rights and opportunities as other citizens in the hemisphere.

Martin Niemoller’s regrets

Martin Niemöller (1892-1984)

Als die Nazis die Kommunisten holten,

habe ich geschwiegen,

ich war ja kein Kommunist.

Als sie die Sozialdemokraten einsperrten,

habe ich geschwiegen,

ich war ja kein Sozialdemokrat.

Als sie die Gewerkschafter holten,

habe ich geschwiegen,

ich war ja kein Gewerkschafter.

Als sie mich holten,

gab es keinen mehr,

der protestieren konnte.

First they came for the communists,

and I did not speak out,

because I was not a communist;

Then they came for the socialists

and I did not speak out,

because I was not a socialist;

Then they came for the trade unionists,

and I did not speak out,

because I was not a trade unionist;

Then they came for me

and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Generation Y

In Cuba most girls born after the Revolution have names starting with the letter “Y.”  This is a distinctive way of identifying the “children of the Revolution.”  But, as any parent can tell you, children can grow up to be rebellious.  This means some members of the Generation Y are making the revolutionary processes come full circle.

Yoani Sanchez, age 34, lives in Havana and is one of the most influential persons in Cuba.  Time magazine recognized her as a leading figure in the modern Cuban uprising. Yoani is not in the Sierra Maestra with the guerrilla fighting an insurgent war.  Instead of an AK-47, her weapon is the keyboard on her computer, and her bullets are her words of truth she is broadcasting from her humble home in Havana.  Yoani Sanchez is one of the most celebrated bloggers in the world. Sanchez’s work has been awarded numerous awards by the European Union, and various media outlets in the United States.  Her prominence has come with a price.  Last week, Yoani and her partner, fellow blogger Orlando Luis Pardo, were abducted as they walked on a Havana street in the middle of the day. They were both brutally beaten by a group of “enforcers” working for the communist regime.  A stern warning was issued to Yoani: “Shut Up!”  Unlike disillusioned voters in Iran, or the Chinese students in Tiananmen Square, Yoani and her boyfriend were not making a political statement on the streets; they were not setting tires on fire, throwing rocks at storefronts, or looting establishments as is the norm during political unrest — usually perpetrated by pro “socialist” elements — in most of Latin America today. 

The Huffington Post, a liberal news outlet, Mother Jones magazine, and Hispanic Business have carried the story of Yoani’s beating, and the crackdown on bloggers who live in Cuba.  (Note that less than 2% of the population has accesses to a home computer.)

There is no certainty where all the technological transformation, including blogs, RSS feeds, tweeter, smart phones, etc. will have on the Cuban youth quest for freedom.  There is a mutiny in progress; it is being led by the disheartened children of the revolution. Where that rebellion leads is just anyone’s guess.

In the United States there is also a “quiet media revolution” taking place. Hundreds of laid off and retired journalists have turned to the Internet as the venue to continue broadcasting and writing.  Their reporting has become the resistance movement against absolute media control by special interests.  The orchestrated demise of newspapers, and the consolidation of ownership of radio and TV stations, has lead to the current “trend of advocacy media,” where hate radio is popular and political propaganda is dogma.  

From a member of Generation Ñ to a member of Generation Y:  Yoani Sanchez, I salute you, pray for you and wish you well:  “Que Dios te Bendiga!”  

First Snowfall

Today we welcomed our first measurable” snowfall of the season in Anchorage. According to the National Weather Service the record for the latest first snowfall in the city is November 13, 2002. Imagine that! In all the time that records have been kept, it seems the snow is coming later and later each year. While we did not break the record today, you can’t deny there is an obvious change in the weather patterns, the seasons are not as predictable as they were in the past, climate change perhaps?

K'elt'aeni: Who Controls Alaska?

 The forecasts featured in this blog are about the swift changes concerning environmental, political, and observable facts that affect the citizens of Alaska.  Just like it's weather, everything is possible in Alaska. By the way, this blog does not predict the weather.


K'elt'aeni, is an Ahtna Athabaskan word loosely meaning "The One That Controls."  Who controls the politics, the environment, and the issues influencing the future of Alaska? I am seeking the answers.