US-Cuba Economic Relations: What are the Real Possibilities?

February 13, 2004 - 7:00 PM

Panelists:

  • Reverend Raimundo Garcia Franco
    Christian Center of Reflection and Dialogue
  • Ted Henken
    Baruch College
  • Kirby Jones
    Alamar Associates

Reverend Raimundo Garcia Franco will speak about grassroots socioeconomic conditions as well as people’s desires regarding US-Cuban relations. Reverend Garcia Franco is a pastor of the Reformed Presbyterian Church and the Executive Director of the Christian Center of Reflection and Dialogue in Cárdenas, Cuba. The Center is an independent non-governmental organization.

Ted Henken will discuss the capacity of the Cuban economy to deal with increased economic relations. Prof. Henken is an Assistant Professor of Sociology and Hispanic Studies at Baruch College. He teaches introductory courses in Sociology and Latin American Studies, and has taught courses on Cuban history and politics, contemporary Cuban culture and society, and Latino immigration. His publications include articles on Cuba’s informal economy in the journal Cuban Studies (2003) and in many volumes of Cuba in Transition. Professor Henken has worked as a consultant on Cuba for the U.S. Department of State and has lectured widely on contemporary Cuban issues.

Kirby Jones will explore the possibilities of increased US-Cuban economic and diplomatic relations. Mr. Jones is president of Alamar Associates, a Washington-based consulting firm which provides a full range of consulting services to companies and organizations interested in establishing relationships with, and conducting business in, Cuba. He is a founder and member of the Board of Directors of the Americans for Humanitarian Trade with Cuba, and serves on the Board of the Center for Cuban Studies in New York.