ASCE's 2021 Webinar Series: "Foreign Direct Investment Experiences: Lessons for Cuba"

 

 

The Association for the Study of the Cuba Economy (ASCE) with the support of the Coalition for Peace and Ethics (CPE), has undertaken a webinar series. The object of this series is to draw attention to the work of leading scholars and actors involved in the examination of current issues of Cuban society, culture, politics, law, and economics from a national, regional or international perspective.  The first of the Series,  entitled "Cuba's new monetary and exchange rate system; How are they progressing"?" may be accessed HERE. The second, Luis Gil Abinader; "Scaling Up Manufacture of the Cuban Vaccine Candidates," was held 2 April 2021. 

This next ASCE 2021 webinar was held 5 May 2021.  It is entitled "Foreign Direct Investment Experiences: Lessons for Cuba," brings together a group of global experts discussing the potentials and challenges facing Cuban expectations about foreign direct investment on their own terms.  This webinar will outline the salient features of FDI, touch upon the challenge of negotiating investment contracts between states and foreign investors, and, in particular, the current process of approval in Cuba. It will consider what Cuba, as a developing nation with an economy in transition, needs in terms of a regulatory framework to attract FDI. Speakers included Karl Sauvant (Columbia U), Pedro Freyre (Akerman's Int'l Practice), Jorge Piñon (U Texas), Natalia Delgado (Columbia), Christine Concepión (McDermott, Will, Emery), and Ricardo Ampudia (Shook, Hardy Bacon).  

The discussion was fascinating, especially for the way to revealed the great chasm between global orthodox expectations--unmoved by Cuban ideological difference, other than to produce expressions of frustrated impatience--those the unrealistic expectations of the Cuban vanguard that continues to believe it may still bend the world (at least enough) to its ideological will.  It was especially interesting for the way in which an ever more tightly knotted together web of legalized trade and commercial regimes are being woven among liberal democratic states, one that may have to be ready for the inevitable challenge frm its competitor systems arising elsewhere. And that competition, perhaps, is what Cuba will ultimately bank on to win such a small enough place to survive more or less apart and intact. 

For those of you unable to attend, ASCE, with the support of the Coalition for Peace & Ethics, has recorded the event and posted it to the Coalition for Peace & Ethics YouTube Channel.  I will likely be posted elsewhere by the other sponsoring organizations, each of which will post their own announcement. We hope you find the discussion interesting and thought provoking We welcome your views. The video is posted to the CPE YouTube Channel (HERE for the ASCE Webinar Series 2021 Playlist) and the specific webinar may be accessed HERE.