Chief of the Cuban Interests Section Dagoberto RodrÌguez Barrera Seeking to End 40-Year Embargo by Larry Luxner In May, President George W. Bushómarking the 100th anniversary of Cuban independence in Miamiómade clear that he would oppose any attempt to end the 40-year-old U.S. trade embargo against Cuba until Fidel Castro is dead, overthrown or voted out of office. To that end, the Bush administration has encouraged the U.S. diplomats in Cuba to hand out short-wave radios and give moral and financial support to dissidents. Castro, comparing the Bush administration to ìNazi rule,î reacted angrily in early July by threatening for the first time to end bilateral migration talks and shut the U.S. Interests Section in Havana. If that happens, the United States would likely retaliate by closing the Cuban Interests Section in Washington, D.C., but the head of that mission, Dagoberto RodrÌguez Barrera, says things probably wonít get that bad....more... Jean-FranÁois Rischard World Bank Executive Urges Bold Steps to Prevent Global ëHigh Nooní by John Shaw Jean-FranÁois Rischard believes the global community can no longer respond to a growing list of pressing problems with partial solutions and tepid compromises. He believes that governments, businesses and civil society working together need to come up with clear choices, decisive action and new ways of confronting global challenges. ìI donít think that muddling through is an alternative scenario,î Rischard said in an interview at the Westin Fairfax Hotel on Embassy Row. ìWe need imaginative thinking, out-of-the box thinking. We also need really fast thinking because we face many urgent global issues that have to be dealt with soon, not in 30 years or 50 years. Each issue when you look at it has a time-clock ticking behind it,î he added. Rischard has wo rked at the World Bank for nearly 25 years and is now vice president for Europe. He holds doctoral degrees in law and economics from universities in Europe and a master of business administration from Harvard Business School. One of his classmates at Harvard was President George W. Bush....more...

Culture Section Envoy Says Madagascar Is on Road to Recovery by Larry Luxner Following presidential elections in Madagascar last December, violence erupted when candidate Marc Ravalomanana claimed he had defeated longtime leader Didier Ratsiraka, who had ruled the African country since 1975. For several months, both men insisted they were presidentóa situation that endured until early July, when Ratsiraka finally fled to the nearby island of Seychelles on his way to permanent exile in France....more... Former OAS Ambassador Pushes Investment in Latin America by Larry Luxner MIAMIóLuis J. Lauredo, Washington, D.C.ís former ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS), has some timely advice for you: Invest in Latin America. Since leaving his diplomatic post last July, the Cuban-born Lauredo has made a career of advising big U.S. and European multinationals that already do business or are contemplating doing business south of the Rio Grande....more... Rebuilding Afghanistanís Body and Soul by Serena Lei The task of rebuilding Afghanistan is monumental, and hundreds of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and nonprofit groups have volunteered for the challenge. The question is: What does Afghanistan truly need to rebuild? How can we responsibly help a country that has fought for decades to get out from under foreign influence?....more...