The Cuban Revolution Today: Proposals of Changes, Scenarios, and Alternatives 55
imprisonment in the United States. Measures have been adopted that
have weakened the blockade during Obama's first term, and these
could be expanded in the future.^35
Although Cuba is not a member of the Organization of American
States or the Continental Social Alliance, this does not mean that it is
isolated in the region. It is a member of ALBA, the Rio Group, the
Association of Caribbean States, the Caribbean Community and Com-
mon Market, and the Latin American and Caribbean Economic Sys-
tem. It takes part in forums such as the Ibero-American summits and
has excellent relations with the countries of MERCOSUR. The emer-
gence in the region of radical governments developing alternatives to
neoliberalism—Venezuela, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil,
Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and El Salvador—has involved a
strengthening of Cuba’s relations with these countries. Its principal
strategic allies will continue to be Venezuela and the countries of
ALBA, and existing agreements with Venezuela will be extended and
strengthened. Other important strategic allies will continue to be
China, Vietnam, and Russia (Suárez, 2009). Relations with Spain and
the Vatican will maintain a high profile.^36 The steps taken by Cuba in
the development of democracy may help to persuade the EU to aban-
don the Common Position. Cuba will continue to supporting the- The pope’s visit to Cuba in January 1998, which passed without antisystem incident,
had a positive outcome in that it opened up new areas of dialogue between the Church
and civil society. The dialogue of May 2010 between President Raúl Castro and Cardinal
Jaime Ortega, head of the Cuban Catholic Church, and the one in June with Spanish
Minister of Foreign Relations Miguel Angel Moratinos led to the decision of the Cuban
government to release before November the 52 remaining prisoners of the 73 dissidents
who had been incarcerated in 2003. Moratinos considered these measures very positive
and later said in a press conference that this might lead to the elimination of the Com-
mon Position of the EU toward Cuba. These measures, as I have pointed out, led
Fariñas to end his hunger strike. In addition, the debate of Cuban officials and intellectu-
als with members of the Cuban community abroad in the Catholic Week of June 2010
and the visit of Vatican Secretary of State Monsignor Mamberti and his meeting with
President Raúl Castro are in this line of dialogue and negotiation (Granma, July 8, 2010
[http://www.granma.cubaweb.cu/english/index.html]; Granma, July 21, 2010 http://
[http://www.granma.cubaweb.cu/2010/06/21/nacional/artic08.html])..) - On July 4, 2010, Fidel Castro published a reflection on possible U.S. aggression
against Iran. On July 13, 2010, he appeared on television for the first time since his ill-
ness four years ago and explained his arguments on this issue. He did not refer to the
internal situation of the island or to the recent release of the prisoners liberated after a
dialogue with the Cuban Church and the Spanish foreign-relations minister.