Are there specialized stores for party officials, as there were in Eastern Europe and Russia?
Definitely, and also specialized clinics for the political elite. Also, practically all the foreign investment in Cuba is in the form of joint ventures. And that means that there are people on the Cuban side who are joint executives with the foreign investors. Most important in this regard is the army, which is involved in substantial joint ventures in the tourist sector. A very important development just took place recently, which, to me, is a bellwether of future developments. The Cuban Minister of Tourism, who was a civilian, was recently replaced by the army officer who was at the head of Gaviota. So the man who headed the Army tourist enterprise now runs the whole tourist section of the economy. The same thing happened a few years ago in the sugar industry when a general was appointed to run that important sector of the economy. There are other semi-private, semi-public enterprises that are managed on the Cuban side by a number of managers who, in my view, will play a critical rol
