Brand Cuba

I had to do a lot of driving, so listened to a number of podcasts. I recommend BBC's two part "Brand Cuba," which examines the identity of the Cuban revolution (you can download it from iTunes). What I liked was that it included all different opinions, but also that it emphasized Cuba's international presence. So, for example, it spends some time examining why Fidel Castro is so popular in South Africa, and how his foreign policy may affect his historical image.

Meanwhile, John McAuliff at The Havana Note links to a Raúl Castro speech about Barack Obama. He mentions that he received a ;etter from a "former president" saying that change was coming so a gesture from Raúl would be a good idea. I assume this is Jimmy Carter, though he did not specify "United States" president.