Cuba’s Energy Future: Strategic Approaches to Cooperation

Approaching an uncertain future without Fidel Castro and still struggling to gain its economic footing in the post-Cold War period, Cuba must now make critical decisions to improve its economy and living conditions for the Cuban people. A major challenge facing Cuba is access to energy resources that are environmentally sustainable and sufficient to meet the nation’s revitalization and development goals. What steps can Cuba take to achieve both short- and long-term energy sustainability and self-sufficiency? Is there a role for the United States in this scenario?

On October 22, the Latin American Initiative at Brookings will hosted the release of Cuba’s Energy Future: Strategic Approaches to Cooperation (Brookings, 2010), featuring a discussion with the book’s contributors. Panelists include Jonathan Benjamin-Alvarado, the book’s editor and a professor of political science at the University of Nebraska-Omaha; Jorge Piñon, senior research fellow at Florida International University; Juan A.B. Belt, director of Chemonics International; and Dan Whittle, Cuba program director at the Environmental Defense Fund.

Senior Fellow Ted Piccone, deputy director of Foreign Policy at Brookings, provided introductory remarks and moderated the discussion. After the program, the participants took audience questions.