The political leadership of Cuba, which has undergone significant turnover in the past year, was profiled in a new publication this month by the DNI Open Source Center (OSC).
“Raul Castro has overhauled the leadership of top government bodies, especially those dealing with the economy, since he formally succeeded his brother Fidel as president of the Councils of State and Ministers on 24 February 2008,” the OSC observed. “Since then, almost all of the Council of Ministers vice presidents have been replaced, and more than half of all current ministers have been appointed.”
See “Cuban Leadership Overview” (pdf), Open Source Center, April 16, 2009. A handsome poster featuring photographs of dozens of senior Cuban officials was also compiled by the Open Source Center. See “Cuban Leadership Chart” (pdf), April 16, 2009.
Like most Open Source Center products, these items have not been approved for public release. Copies were obtained by Secrecy News.
Satellite imagery of RAF Lakenheath reveals new construction of a security perimeter around ten protective aircraft shelters in the designated nuclear area, the latest measure in a series of upgrades as the base prepares for the ability to store U.S. nuclear weapons.
It will take consistent leadership and action to navigate the complex dangers in the region and to avoid what many analysts considered to be an increasingly possible outcome, a nuclear conflict in East Asia.
Getting into a shutdown is the easy part, getting out is much harder. Both sides will be looking to pin responsibility on each other, and the court of public opinion will have a major role to play as to who has the most leverage for getting us out.
How the United States responds to China’s nuclear buildup will shape the global nuclear balance for the rest of the century.