Fidel Castro speaks to a crowd of over 100,000 people at the Plaza de la Revolucion, Havana, January 2, 1969, for the tenth anniversary of the Revolution By Dayan Jayatilleka The month he turned 50, my father, Mervyn de Silva, and my mother, Lakshmi, were in Havana watching Fidel Castro take over the chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement at its 6th Summit. After my father died, I discovered in his briefcase the embossed invitation on stiff parchment. He had treasured it fo

Cuban assemble in Havana for the 2026 May 1 march -- image via the Communist Party of Cuba By Vijay Prashad For more than six decades, the United States has attempted to make the Cuban people pay for their decision to pursue an independent, socialist path. The latest phase of this economic war has targeted the island’s most vulnerable artery: its energy supply. Six months after Washington intensified pressure on countries and companies supplying oil to Cuba, the policy has no

Long before Christmas became a commercial spectacle, winter holidays carried a shared moral purpose: protecting the vulnerable, renewing social bonds, and reminding societies of their obligations to one another. Revisiting these ancient ethics may offer a surprising roadmap for civic repair in an age of division. Gathering Evergreens -- BPL, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Martina Moneke When we think of Christmas today, what comes first to mind? Twinkling lights alon