By José R. Cabañas Rodríguez on January 20, 2026, from Havana
The State of the Union address, which takes place every year in the plenary session of the US House of Representatives, is a political exercise that has been used for decades to present the executive branch’s main proposals and concerns to the legislative branch. As political polarization has increased in that country, the staging has evolved into an exhibitionist platform, where, in addition to slogans, personalities are projected who appear the next day in the headlines of the main (mis)information media. (more…)
By José Ramón Cabañas Rodríguez on January 8, 2026
Between December 16 and 18, 2025, the 23rd edition of the series of Dialogues on Cuba in US Foreign Policy took place in Havana, Cuba, an event that brings together experts from the US, Cuba, and other countries on an annual basis. The event is organized by the Center for International Policy Research, attached to the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is responsible for disseminating the results of the meeting. Information on this and previous editions can be found at www.cipi.cu (more…)
By José Ramón Cabañas Rodríguez on January 14, 2026 from Havana
Caracas, foto Bill Hackwell
January 3, 2026, will remain etched in the memory of Venezuelans, Cubans, and many Latin Americans/Caribbeans for various reasons. There are those who were directly impacted by the US attack on Caracas, those who had family members or acquaintances residing in Venezuela, those who had visited the country at some point, and those who had never been there but respect the tranquility and civil peace that all human beings should enjoy. (more…)
By José Ramón Cabañas Rodríguez on November 7, 2025
Abigail Spanberger in Richmond, Va., left, Zohran Mamdani in New York, centre, and Mikie Sherrill in East Brunswick. images: AP
A series of consultations or elections have just taken place in the United States that, under other circumstances and with other results, would not have been particularly significant, but in the era of Trump 2.0 polarization, they require analysis to understand the extent to which the current president can continue his national and international agenda without restriction and to begin to sketch out a scenario for the so-called “midterm elections” that will take place in November 2026. (more…)
By José Ramón Cabañas Rodríguez on November 4, 2025
The announcement of the suspension (postponement) of the 10th Summit of the Americas has not made many headlines in the regional press, nor has it caused any surprises among observers of international affairs or prompted statements from many foreign ministries in the region, at least in the first 24 hours after the announcement. (more…)
By José R. Cabañas Rodríguez on October 28, 2025
It must be acknowledged that one of the characteristics of Donald Trump’s current administration in its handling of “information” is the constant creation of content that overlaps with each other, generates doubts, circulates torrents of false data, and, obviously, makes analysis more difficult. Therefore, as an expert photographer once said, what is in front of the lens is better understood if, instead of zooming in on the subject, we zoom out and take into account details that are not normally revealed if we take the image piece by piece. (more…)
By José R. Cabañas Rodríguez on September 24, 2025
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks as President Donald Trump listens in the White House in Washington on September 22, 2025. Mark Schiefelbein / AP
This week, perhaps the most prominent news story about the ongoing reality show unfolding in the White House was related to the content of the US president’s speech to the high-level segment of the United Nations General Assembly, the breakdown of his teleprompter, and the escalator he was using to get to the plenary session. (more…)
By José R. Cabañas Rodríguez on September 8, 2025
Secretary of Health Robert Kennedy is accused of “disregard for science and the truth” in Senate hearing.
Since Donald Trump’s rise to power in his second term as president of the United States, there has been a significant amount of criticism of his foreign and domestic policy initiatives, which have been linked to the idea that his actions, rather than defending the country’s national (or federal) interests, are actually weakening its political leadership and economic strength. (more…)