In a number of articles and opinion columns about the “real estate market” in present day Cuba published recently by several media outlets, a number of assertions are made that, even if truthful, fail to be relevant once we understand the reality –hard to grasp for many of US, granted- that provides its context to Cuban real property rights.
This lack of understanding is also perceptible in other fields in which the December 17th announcements resulted in new feverish interactions between Cuba & US, even in the negotiations between both nations: our “American” side seems unable to look at things from Cuba’s perspective, incapable of putting ourselves in Cuba’s shoes, bent as we are on changing or conditioning that reality which is the context to everything we are discussing with the Cuban side. Unless we learn to understand that reality –grounded in over half a century of decision making by those “in possession” of Cuba, whether we like those decisions or not- and work with it, said interactions and negotiations will be endless and probably fruitless.
Some of the “stars” among our real estate developers have visited Cuba and returned with a mostly negative view of their own chances of venturing into the until now forbidden island and seeding its coasts –Havana’s Malecòn included- with sky-scrappers, at least not until the Castro brothers are both out of the picture. [Read more…]