—AFP: Sin cambios a la vista en política hacia Cuba con el nuevo Congreso de EE UU. El optimismo de Sarah Stephens está ya rozando el delirio. Y esos son los “analistas”.

—Along the Malecon: Tracey Eaton recaba la opinión de USAID a propósito del programa hacia Cuba. Sólo hay que leer lo que opinan los comentaristas del post para entender la razón de ser del programa.

—NYTimes y NPR: Arturo O’Farrill to Play in Cuba, His Father’s Homeland.

—The Washington Post: Four House GOP figures who could be crucial to foreign policy:

If Republicans take the House, Ros-Lehtinen (Fla.) is poised to take over the House Foreign Affairs and could drastically alter the ‘s agenda. For example, she is likely to scuttle the drive to ease sanctions and travel restrictions on Cuba, which Chairman Howard L. Berman (D-Calif.) supports. Ros-Lehtinen, who was born in Havana, is an active member of the Cuban American lobby.
Her ascendancy could also spell doom for Berman’s bill on foreign-aid reform. She argues often for more vetting of foreign aid in the hope of finding cuts, and she has also introduced legislation to cut U.S. funding for the United Nations and the Palestinian Authority.
A vocal critic of what she considers the Obama team’s cool approach to Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Ros-Lehtinen could also use the as a sounding board for those who want changes in the administration’s approach to Middle East peace. “She’s no Dick Lugar,” said one House aide, referring to her temperate Senate counterpart. “You’ll probably see a lot of contentious hearings.”

—The New York Times: New York Philharmonic Renews Effort to Visit Cuba.