Mexico's Evolving Democracy

As a writer and publisher knowledgeable in Latin American political affairs, Jorge Dominguez has published many English and Spanish books on varying aspects of the region. In Mexico's Evolving Democracy: A Comparative Study of the 2012 Election (shortened to Mexico's Evolving Democracy), Jorge I. Dominguez, alongside Kenneth F. Greene, Chappell H. Lawson, and Alejandro Moreno, describes the factors that influenced Mexico’s 2012 election, and implications for the country’s political system.

The authors do not assume that readers of Mexico’s Evolving Democracy possess prior knowledge of the country’s political climate. In fact, the first two sections out of four explain Mexico’s political history, from the 1920s, when the Institutional Revolutionary Party first took power, to the end of the 2000s. The third section breaks down different voter demographics’ voting choices, integrating descriptions of candidates’ campaign strategies, pollsters’ methods, the nature of media coverage, and more. The last section presents possible implications of the election results for Mexico’s political system as a whole.

Dominguez, Greene, Lawson, and Moreno compiled Mexico’s Evolving Democracy with the assistance of fellow political scientists. Published by Johns Hopkins University Press, the book released in 2015.

Cuba - Order and Revolution

Jorge Dominguez is a Latin America scholar based in Center Harbor, New Hampshire. Jorge I. Dominguez is also an accomplished author of several books including Insurrection or Loyalty: The Breakdown of the Spanish American Empire, Enhancing Global Human Rights, and Cuba: Order and Revolution.

Published in 1978, Cuba: Order and Revolution delves into the history of 20th Century Cuba. The book is divided into three sections: Pre-revolutionary Cuba, Revolutionary Cuba: Governing through Centralization, and Political Processes and Change. In the book’s pages you’ll learn about Cuba from the time it got its independence in 1902, how it was governed by Presidents Gerardo Machado and Fulgencio Batista, and finally Fidel Castro’s revolution. You’ll also learn how groups like the Cuban Women’s Federation, Cuban Labor Confederation, student unions, and the Cuban military helped shape the country’s history.

Key events like the revolution led by Fidel Castro and its impact on Latin America and Africa, the Bay of Pigs invasion in April 1961, and the Cuban missile crisis in 1962 are also covered in depth in the book.

Facts about the Mexican Revolution

Jorge Dominguez attended Harvard University, where he earned his MA and PhD in political science. After receiving his PhD in 1972, Jorge I. Dominguez became a professor at Harvard, a job held for 46 years until his retirement in 2018. One of the courses Mr. Dominguez taught at Harvard was Mexico: Revolution, Authoritarianism, and Democracy: 100 Years.

The Mexican Revolution took place from 1910 to 1920. It was a major revolution that included several armed struggles that sought to bring an end to dictatorship in Mexico and introduce democracy. In addition to opposition to President Porfirio Diaz's 30 years of dictatorship, other causes of the Mexican Revolution were the exploitation and poor treatment of workers and a large disparity between the rich and poor in Mexico.

Key leaders of the Mexican Revolution were Francisco Madero, Emiliano Zapata, Pancho Villa, and Pascual Orozco. By 1917, some of the reforms the revolutionaries were seeking had been achieved, but fighting continued periodically until 1930. Mexicans commemorate the Mexican Revolution, officially known as Dia de la Revolucion, on November 20th each year.

U.S.-Cuba Policy Likely to Shift

With a background as a professor and chair of the Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies, Dr. Jorge I. Dominguez has a longstanding research focus on Latin America. An area of particular emphasis for Dr. Jorge Dominguez has been assessing Cuban’s economic, trade, and political challenges under Communist rule.

With the incoming Biden administration, U.S.-Cuba policy has reached a pivotal point that is likely define bilateral relations for the next several years. As reported in the Tampa Bay Times, the past decade has been one of blinding policy shifts, with President Barack Obama working to normalize relations through direct commercial flights and cruise line visits to Cuban ports, as well as scientific and art collaborations and exchanges.

The Trump administration rolled back that detente through a raft of new sanctions and travel restrictions, including a late move for Cuba’s inclusion on the list of states that sponsor terrorism. One economically impactful action involved sanctions on Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba.

With many questions unanswered, the Biden administration seems likely to tread a middle ground. Some level of research and cultural exchange will potentially return and the U.S. may seek to expand its embassy presence in Havana again. At the same time, Biden is likely to push for increased political diversity, countering the one-party system, and greater compliance with humanitarian rules.  

A Look at The Big Idea from the Harvard Business Review

Jorge I. Dominguez is from Center Harbor, New Hampshire, and had a varied career at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for over 40 years. Throughout this period, Jorge Dominguez had numerous articles and papers published, including with the Harvard Business Review (HBR), which has adopted The Big Idea to bring current issues to light.

HBR was first established in 1922 by the dean of the Harvard Business School for the purpose of assisting management students by giving them the information and tools they needed to succeed. For nearly a hundred years, HBR has covered important issues across industries and countries and has earned a reputation as a dynamic and thought-provoking publication.

Described as “the eventification of an article,” The Big Idea was brought into play more than ten years ago as a way to start moving into the digital era, and also keep readers entertained and informed between the bi-monthly issues of the review. HBR provides access to The Big Idea on all channels, thus allowing readers to explore the current topic on their favorite digital platform. This can consist of written articles, podcasts, and videos, and has covered issues such as problems for working parents, climate change, and gender equality, among others. 

Donald Trump Captures Florida’s Hispanic Vote

Jorge I. Dominguez spent nine years as vice provost for international affairs at Harvard University. Promoting and supporting work on international topics in this capacity, he represented Harvard worldwide with other universities, governments, and alumni. In addition to his teaching and administrative work, Jorge Dominguez earned a lifetime academic achievement award in the Cuba Section of the Latin American Studies Association in 2010.

Cuban Americans in Florida’s Miami-Dade County gave Republican candidate and incumbent president Donald Trump the largest number of votes the Republican Party has received from that group in 16 years, when George W. Bush was elected to a second term in 2004. While many were surprised at this result, some poll-watchers felt that it could have been seen coming for several reasons.

Many Cuban Americans have traditionally supported the Republicans due to their strong stance against Cuban leader Fidel Castro after Kennedy’s failed invasion at the Bay of Pigs in the early 1960s. In more recent times, just prior to leaving office in January 2016, Democratic president Barack Obama stopped enforcing the presidential discretion in the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966 that had afforded Cubans privileged immigration status; that left thousands of Cuban immigrants hoping to reach America stranded in Central America and Mexico while feeling betrayed.

There are also current issues that had an impact on increasing the Cuban American vote for Republicans. The alleged acceptance of socialism by Democrats also left many Cuban Americans feeling more aligned with Republican ideals.

The end result was nearly 200,000 more Hispanic votes for the Republican candidate than in the previous election of 2016.

 

Cuban Physicians Abroad Face Lack of Pay During Pandemic

Having served as Antonio Madero Professor for the Study of Mexico at Harvard University, Dr. Jorge I. Domínguez also had a research emphasis on Cuban politics and society. Dr. Jorge I. Domínguez continues to maintain a strong interest in developments in the Communist island nation during a time of pandemic and increased economic hardship.

The export of medical support and knowledge is a key hard currency earner for Cuba, but a recent article in the Miami Herald brought attention to a claim by several Cuban physicians working in Algeria that they had not received pay since March. This came just after Algeria made public that it pays $70 million to Cuba each year for the services of nearly 900 doctors, which amounts to $79,000 annually for each physician procured.

Of this amount, physicians receive approximately $900 a month, with $350 directly deposited into their Cuban bank accounts and the rest disbursed to the Cuban government in Algerian dinars. According to one physician, Cuba states as a reason for this the need to make investments in education and health. Though the physicians endure crowded conditions and have restricted movements while abroad, they largely accept this arrangement for the sake of their families. Their own earnings in hard-currency exceed the payments they would have received while working in Cuba. Thus, such service can be financially beneficial for the health-care personnel serving abroad even if they only receive a small fraction of what Algeria pays Cuba for their services.

Algeria has had a medical services provision arrangement with Cuba since the 1960s, but Cuban physicians recently expressed surprise at learning how much was actually paid for their services. The current situation, with no payments coming from a Cuban government strapped for cash, means that in many cases the physicians are simply subsisting on the food the hospitals provide them.