WHY CUBA MATTERS: NEW THREATS IN AMERICA’S BACKYARD. Even after the U.S. restored diplomatic relations with Cuba in 2015 and removed it from the list of states sponsors of terrorism, the Castro regime intensified repression on the island and bolstered the besieged Maduro dictatorship in Venezuela with intelligence and paramilitary forces. This, in collusion with Russia and China, which have steadily penetrated Latin America while Washington looked elsewhere. To address this challenge, I will draw on experiences learned in dealing with a regime that deceived and subjugated the Cuban people and defied 12 U.S. presidents over 60 plus years                          .

Mr. Carbonell was born and raised in Havana, Cuba. He comes from a family that left its imprint on the nation’s wars of independence and the foundation of the Republic. He earned a Doctor of Law degree from the University of Villanueva in Havana, and holds a Master of Law degree and a Strategic Marketing Certificate from Harvard University.

Having opposed the Castro-Communist takeover of Cuba in 1959, Mr. Carbonell went into exile in mid-1960 and participated in the Bay of Pigs operation. As Special Representative of the U.S.-backed Cuban Revolutionary Council to the Organization of American States, he led the diplomatic effort to expel the Castro regime from the regional organization, and subsequently alerted Congress to the Soviet strategic military buildup in Cuba that gave rise to the Missile Crisis.

Mr. Carbonell joined PepsiCo in 1967 as Counsel, Latin America, and progressed through a variety of management positions, including Area Vice President, North Latin America and Zone President, Western and Eastern European Operations. He retired from PepsiCo in 2008 as Corporate Vice President in charge of International Government Relations and Public Affairs. 

Mr. Carbonell is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and of the Board of Overseers of the International Rescue Committee. He also served in academic boards of Georgetown University and Duke University, as a Fellow in the Foreign Policy Association, and active participant in the World Economic Forum.

Mr. Carbonell is the author of several books and publications on Cuba, law and history, including “And the Russians Stayed—The Sovietization of Cuba” published by William Morrow in 1989, and endorsed by Richard Nixon, Brent Scowcroft, Jeane Kirkpatrick and Zbigniew Brzezinski.

Mr. Carbonell’s forthcoming book is WHY CUBA MATTERS: NEW THREATS IN AMERICA’S BACKYARD.

 

Arranged by John Hess

Video of presentation: https://youtu.be/CBRm9sp6FgE