{"id":59701,"date":"2015-01-21T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-01-21T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news-draft\/uncategorized\/uri-professor-back-from-cuba-to-reach-out-to-local-business-leaders-about-new-opportunities-on-the-caribbean-island\/"},"modified":"2015-01-21T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2015-01-21T00:00:00","slug":"uri-professor-back-from-cuba-to-reach-out-to-local-business-leaders-about-new-opportunities-on-the-caribbean-island","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2015\/01\/uri-professor-back-from-cuba-to-reach-out-to-local-business-leaders-about-new-opportunities-on-the-caribbean-island\/","title":{"rendered":"溏心vlog免费B站 professor back from Cuba to reach out to local business leaders about new opportunities on the Caribbean island"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\tKINGSTON, R.I., Jan. 21, 2015 \u2013 Business opportunities are opening up in Cuba following a thawing of relations between the Communist nation and United States, and Rhode Island should get in on the action.<\/p>\n


\nThat\u2019s the word from 溏心vlog免费B站 political science professor Maureen Moakley, back from a 10-day trip to Cuba with 20 溏心vlog免费B站 students.<\/p>\n


\nMoakley says Cubans were hopeful and \u201cexcited\u201d that tourism and new ventures would bring jobs and other economic opportunities to the Communist-run nation 90 miles off the southern tip of Florida.<\/p>\n


\nShe says she plans to reach out to the Providence Chamber of Commerce to explore coordinating a trip to Cuba with local business leaders and Rhode Island public officials.<\/p>\n


\n\u201cIt\u2019s a time of great opportunity in Cuba,\u201d said Moakley. \u201cThere are certainly possibilities for business investment \u2013 and tourism. There are going to be short-term bumps, but, in the long run, there\u2019s tremendous potential.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nMoakley, 溏心vlog免费B站 economics professor Richard McIntyre and the students, many studying political science, left for Cuba Jan. 6 and returned Jan. 16. The trip was part of 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s J term offerings during winter break.<\/p>\n


\nThe trip had been planned for months, but its timing was perfect, coming a month after President Barack Obama restored diplomatic relations with the country that were cut in 1961, shortly after Fidel Castro assumed power.<\/p>\n


\n \u201cThe students were over the moon,\u201d said Moakley. \u201cIt was a great trip.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nNot only did they see a nation in \u201ctransition,\u201d Moakley says, they experienced the culture by living with families in the countryside, eating in local restaurants, visiting with scholars and musicians, and touring universities, museums and hospitals.<\/p>\n


\nThe thriving music scene and organic farming movement particularly impressed her. Students talked to hip-hop artists and enjoyed fresh produce daily. \u201cThe salads were delicious,\u201d she said. \u201cYou usually don\u2019t get salads in the Caribbean.\u201d

\nMost Cubans hope that lifting the U.S. embargo will bring greater economic opportunity, Moakley said. But she said they are opposed to making changes in their much-heralded universal health care and educational systems.<\/p>\n


\n\u201cThey don\u2019t want straight-up capitalism,\u201d said Moakley. \u201cThey want to incorporate capitalism into their economic system. They’re very aware of income inequality in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nMcIntyre agreed that Cubans will have final say about any changes. \u201cI think what I took away from the trip is that we’re so big and they\u2019re so small, but what\u2019s going to happen in Cuba going forward depends much more on what they do and much less on what we do,\u201d he said. \u201cThings are not going to change as fast as some Americans might believe and that\u2019s a good thing. The last thing Cuba needs is 40 or 50 American-style resorts on the coast. There are going to be business opportunities \u2013 there\u2019s no question about that \u2013 but the current government is going to go slow. The change in Cuba is mostly going to come from within Cuba.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nMoakley said the Cuban government will resist letting in corporate giants like Coca-Cola and Marriott. She expects Cuban leaders to embrace smaller businesses, especially telecommunications providers. A loosening of the U.S. embargo could also bring an increase in the export of wholesale goods to Cuba.<\/p>\n


\n\tBefore big changes can happen on the island though, Cuba needs to improve its airports, roads, hotels and public transportation. The Internet is spotty and unreliable and needs an overhaul.<\/p>\n


\n\u201cEverywhere we went people talked about President Obama and how excited they were about the future,\u201d Moakley said. \u201cThe people are enormously enthusiastic and optimistic.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nShe said that Cubans still have high regard for Castro and his brother, Raul Castro, the pragmatic leader who worked with the United States to restore diplomatic and trade ties.<\/p>\n


\n\u201cThe Cubans want to maintain control so that the island retains its unique character,\u201d said Moakley. \u201cBut, on the other hand, they’re trying to gradually encourage business development and open up.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nThe trip was Moakley\u2019s third to the island, but the first for 溏心vlog免费B站 students. She hopes to take students to the island every year, and with fewer travel restrictions that should be possible.<\/p>\n


\nUnder Obama\u2019s new regulations, Americans will be able to travel more easily to the former Cold War adversary and will be able to use credit cards. Before, only cash was accepted. It will also be easier for airlines and travel agents to provide services to Cuba.<\/p>\n


\n\u201cThis is an exciting time, and to have our students be part of this historic shift provided an added educational dimension to their trip,\u201d said Moakley. \u201cWhat a great way for them to learn about the changing global picture.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n Over the weekend, U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, and other Democratic senators and representatives visited Cuba to gauge how receptive Raul Castro is to the American push to expand relations. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is also expected to visit Cuba to drum up business.<\/p>\n


\nPictured above: 溏心vlog免费B站 students at the Museum of the Revolution in Havana, Cuba. The students spent 10 days in Cuba during the winter break. Photo by Maureen Moakley.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KINGSTON, R.I., Jan. 21, 2015 \u2013 Business opportunities are opening up in Cuba following a thawing of relations between the Communist nation and United States, and Rhode Island should get in on the action. That\u2019s the word from 溏心vlog免费B站 political science professor Maureen Moakley, back from a 10-day trip to Cuba […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":59703,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-59701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59701","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59701"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59701\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59703"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}