‘Carlos Alberto Montaner Was the Ideal Person to be the First President of a Free Cuba’

14ymedio, Xavier Carbonell, Salamanca, 10 October 2023 — When he was 26 years old, Eduardo Zayas-Bazán was rescued from Cuba by the US Government along with 59 other soldiers, imprisoned after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961. A Camagüey native, lawyer, member of a famous criolla family – among his ancestors are José Martí’s wife, … Continue reading “‘Carlos Alberto Montaner Was the Ideal Person to be the First President of a Free Cuba’”

Carlos Alberto Montaner, the Cuban Who Taught Us to Debate

14ymedio, Havana, Yoani Sánchez, 30 June 2023 — I had read him in those ‘plain-paper covered’ books that passed from hand to hand in Cuba in the 1990s. Later, on our Island where censorship was practiced in all its forms, several videocassettes with some of his participations in foreign television programs slipped through. He had … Continue reading “Carlos Alberto Montaner, the Cuban Who Taught Us to Debate”

Cuba Has Lost Carlos Alberto Montaner

14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 30 June 2023–“What qualifier should I use to win the title of top toady?” I asked Carlos Alberto Montaner one day. “Illustrious,” he replied, and we could not stop laughing. I met him in 1996 during my first trip to Spain. I called the number for the Playor editorial offices and … Continue reading “Cuba Has Lost Carlos Alberto Montaner”

Carlos Alberto Montaner Dies in Madrid Without Having Fulfilled His Dream of Seeing a Free Cuba

14ymedio, Madrid, 30 June 30, 2023 — The writer and journalist Carlos Alberto Montaner died this Thursday at his home in Madrid, where he lived since October 2022, “peacefully and accompanied by his loved ones after facing a neurodegenerative disease,” according to a statement issued by his family. In the statement, his wife Linda, his … Continue reading “Carlos Alberto Montaner Dies in Madrid Without Having Fulfilled His Dream of Seeing a Free Cuba”

Carlos Alberto Montaner, Tireless Fighter for Cuba’s Freedom

14ymedio, Pedro Corzo, Miami, 28 May 2023 — The first time I learned about Carlos Alberto Montaner was thanks to an article of his entitled Henry Kissinger in Havana, a work that I liked very much and that established my future interest in a compatriot who, when no one was listening and even less wanted to … Continue reading “Carlos Alberto Montaner, Tireless Fighter for Cuba’s Freedom”

Carlos Alberto Montaner: My Last Column

With great sadness and, at the same time, with the satisfaction of having been accompanied from the beginning by one of the most brilliant adversaries of the Castro regime, ’14ymedio’ publishes the “last column” by Carlos Alberto Montaner. 14ymedio, Carlos Alberto Montaner, Madrid, 5 May 2023 — I’m retiring without a retirement. I’m retiring from … Continue reading “Carlos Alberto Montaner: My Last Column”

Cuban Writer Carlos Alberto Montaner Will Be Honored for His Defense of Democracy

EFE (via 14ymedio), Miami, September 20, 2022 — The Cuban writer, essayist and journalist Carlos Alberto Montaner, one of the most relevant critical voices of exile, will receive recognition this Tuesday in Miami for his defense of democracy and freedom, a tribute that the author himself described to EFE with humor as an “uproar.” “It … Continue reading “Cuban Writer Carlos Alberto Montaner Will Be Honored for His Defense of Democracy”

An interview with Maria Werlau, by Carlos Alberto Montaner

14ymedio, Havana, December 7, 2019 — With the publication of Carlos Alberto Montaner’s interview of María Werlua, we at 14ymedio begin a series of videos which will tackle the work of personalities, activists, and academics in Latin America. In the voice of the Cuban analyst, journalist, and writer, these videos touch on themes ranging from the human … Continue reading “An interview with Maria Werlau, by Carlos Alberto Montaner”

Ecuadoreans Are Gambling With Their Freedom / 14ymedio, Carlos Alberto Montaner

14ymedio, Carlos Alberto Montaner, 11 March 2017 — They are five: Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua and Ecuador. That’s the main nucleus of the 21st-Century Socialism countries. They have different economic structures and their governments manage the productive apparatus in diverse ways, but their rulers coincide on an essential aspect: they attained power so they could keep … Continue reading “Ecuadoreans Are Gambling With Their Freedom / 14ymedio, Carlos Alberto Montaner”

Rafael Correa and the Populist Syndrome / 14ymedio, Carlos Alberto Montaner

14ymedio, Carlos Alberto Montaner, 25 February 2017 — On May 24, Rafael Correa will leave the presidency of Ecuador. Not long now. Don’t despair. I understand; the wait has been long and painful. He has spent a decade in power. On that day, whoever wins the April 2 runoff will take over the government. If the … Continue reading “Rafael Correa and the Populist Syndrome / 14ymedio, Carlos Alberto Montaner”

Europe Is Terrified / 14ymedio, Carlos Alberto Montaner

14ymedio, Carlos Alberto Montaner, Madrid, 29 January 2017  —  Europe is terrified by Donald Trump’s triumph. it fears the vision of the American friend, the primus inter pares. That fact has just been revealed by a macrosurvey by the French pollster Ipsos, which conducted it in 24 nations through interviews with 18,000 people. Ipsos is the … Continue reading “Europe Is Terrified / 14ymedio, Carlos Alberto Montaner”

The Second Cold War / 14ymedio, Carlos Alberto Montaner

14ymedio, Carlos Alberto Montaner, Miami, 25 December 2016 — Exactly one quarter of a century ago, the Soviet Union disappeared. The hecatomb occurred on Dec. 25, 1991, the direct consequence of the prior (and failed) coup in August of that year. Vladimir Putin believes that it was the worst disaster that has happened to his … Continue reading “The Second Cold War / 14ymedio, Carlos Alberto Montaner”

Raul Castro at the Crossroads / Carlos Alberto Montaner

Carlos Alberto Montaner, 10 December 2016 — Raúl Castro is on his own. Gone is his mentor, his paternal figure, the man who molded his life and led him at gunpoint — literally — from insignificance to the nation’s leadership. But he did so brusquely, reminding him every so often that he despised him for … Continue reading “Raul Castro at the Crossroads / Carlos Alberto Montaner”

Questions After Burying Fidel Castro / 14ymedio, Carlos Alberto Montaner

14ymedio, Carlos Alberto Montaner, Miami, 3 December 2016 — Almost no one knows how his final hours passed. Did he die suddenly of a cardiac arrest, did he agonize for several days, or did he suffocate because a throat obstruction, as rumors circulate sotto voce in Havana ? Why the hurry to cremate him? Was it … Continue reading “Questions After Burying Fidel Castro / 14ymedio, Carlos Alberto Montaner”

Chile Returns To Its Old Populist Ways / 14ymedio, Carlos Alberto Montaner

14ymedio, Carlos Alberto Montaner, Santiago de Chile, 28 August 2016 – I have arrived in the country in the middle of a cacophony, fortunately peaceful and civilized. It is Sunday, and tens of thousands of people are protesting against the AFPs. They complain about the “Pension Fund Administrators,” a retirement system founded on individual capital … Continue reading “Chile Returns To Its Old Populist Ways / 14ymedio, Carlos Alberto Montaner”