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“Getting to Denmark”

the AZEL PERSPECTIVE Commentary on Cuba's Future, U.S. Foreign Policy & Individual Freedoms - Issue 441B

José Azel's latest books "On Freedom" and "Sobre La Libertad" are now available on Amazon.  “Getting to Denmark” (Previously published) Share Tweet Forward

This is not a travel advice column. In development economics, “Getting to Denmark” is a term used to describe the problem of creating effective political, economic, and social institutions in developing countries. The expression flows from the work of social scientists Lant Pritchett and Michael Woolcock who question: How did Denmark get to be Denmark? That is, how can a developing country become democratic, prosperous, inclusive, stable, peaceful, law-abiding, well governed, and relatively free of corruption? How can Haiti, Afghanistan, Cuba, Somalia, and many others be transformed into Denmark-like polities? Some answers, explored by Francis Fukuyama in “The Origins of Political Order,” begin with the premise that poor countries are not poor because they lack resources; they are poor because they lack effective political institutions.  Just as importantly, the presence in a country of some democratic institutions reveals very little about how well or badly those institutions function. Often, developing countries fall into a condition where their governing institutions are neither fully authoritarian nor meaningfully democratic.  Institutions shape human interactions. Institutions define the rules of the game in a society and limit our freedom of choice. As such, we are naturally inclined to reject institutions unless we are convinced that they will serve to improve our wellbeing. In developing countries, where political institutions are not inclusive and prone to corruption, the wellbeing case is unconvincing for most of the population.  From the perspective of institutional development, the most intractable problem is that, whereas the end of authoritarian rule may happen quickly, effective democratic institutions develop slowly over time. That is, transitions to democratic governance will not be immediately successful. Regime change cannot be successful without a long, costly, and difficult process of institution building. This is a lesson not often understood by policymakers.  Getting to Denmark requires much more than a majority of votes in an election. It requires a complex set of institutions that Condoleezza Rice aptly describes as the scaffolding of democracy. A liberal democracy requires balance between executive, legislative, and judicial forces; between centralized and regional authorities and their respective responsibilities; between civilian and military powers; between individual and collective rights; and between the state and society. No wonder democracies are always flawed at their inception. Denmark is a long way off if the starting point is Haiti, Somalia, or Cuba. The good news is that institutional development is not hermetically sealed in historical determinism. Societies are not permanently trapped by their historical past. Yet, societies are not free to simply remake themselves any given day disregarding their history. The problem of “Getting to Denmark” is, above all, a problem of finding a way to make inclusive institutions work.  One problem noted by social scientists is that of traditionalist societies that are fiercely resistant to any challenges to the dominant ideas of the society; ideas which are often invested with great political or religious passion. Often these states have highly centralized authorities and unorganized social actors outside the state apparatus, e.g., Iran, North Korea, Cuba.  Another challenge is present in societies characterized by some form of charismatic authority. The term originates from the Greek word charisma or “touched by God.” This etymology points to the enormous challenge of transferring authority from a leader “touched by God” to impersonal institutions.  In these societies there is usually a dramatic incoherence between the existing institutions of the country and the needs of the society. Getting to Denmark requires a mental transition from a creed that the ruler is sovereign to a conviction that the rule of law is sovereign.  As individuals we construct models of reality. Once adopted, our mental models of reality are hard to change even when we are confronted with evidence that our models are not producing the desired results. This helps explain the acquiescent attitudes observed in countries were communism took hold. In Cuba, for example, if economic development was to take place miraculously under the present repressive regime, such economic gains would not destabilize the political system nor put much pressure on it to democratize.  For Cubans, without the scaffolding of democracy, the only way of getting to Denmark is to travel there.  Please let us know if you  this article. We welcome your feedback. Abrazos, Lily & José (click on the name to email Lily or Jose) José Azel, Ph.D. José Azel left Cuba in 1961 as a 13 year-old political exile in what has been dubbed Operation Pedro Pan - the largest unaccompanied child refugee movement in the history of the Western Hemisphere.   He is currently dedicated to the in-depth analyses of Cuba's economic, social and political state, with a keen interest in post-Castro-Cuba strategies. Dr. Azel was a Senior Scholar at the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies (ICCAS) at the University of Miami, Jose Azel has published extensively on Cuba related topics. In 2012 and 2015, Dr. Azel testified in the U.S. Congress on U.S.-Cuba Policy, and U.S. National Security.  He is a frequent speaker and commentator on these and related topics on local, national and international media.  He holds undergraduate and masters degrees in business administration and a Ph.D. in International Affairs from the University of Miami. José along with his wife Lily are avid skiers and adventure travelers.  In recent years they have climbed Grand Teton in Wyoming, trekked Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and Machu Pichu in Peru.  They have also hiked in Tibet and in the Himalayas to Mt. Everest Base Camp. They cycled St. James Way (El Camino de Santiago de Compostela) and cycled alongside the Danube from Germany to Hungary and throughout southern France.  They have scuba dived in the Bay Islands off the Honduran coast and in the Galapagos Islands. Most recently, they rafted for 17 days 220 miles in the Grand Canyon.  Their adventurers are normally dedicated to raise funds for causes that are dear to them.  Watch Joe & Lily summit Kilimanjaro. Books by Dr. José Azel José Azel’s writings are touched with the wisdom of a master, and the charm of an excellent communicator. Anyone who wishes to understand why countries do, or do not, progress will find in this book the best explanations. And, from these readings emerge numerous inferences: How and why do the good intentions of leftist collectivism lead countries to hell? Why is liberty not a sub product of prosperity, but rather one of its causes? If it was in my power, this work would be required reading for all college and university students, and I would also recommend its reading to all politicians, journalists, and policymakers. With his writings Azel accomplishes what was achieved in France by Frédéric Bastiat, and in the United States by Henry Hazlitt: Azel brings together common sense with intelligent observation, and academic substance. Stupendous, Carlos Alberto Montaner                                                                    BUY NOW Los escritos de José Azel están tocados por la sabiduría de un maestro y la amenidad de un excelente comunicador. Cualquiera que desee entender por qué los países progresan, o no, encontrará en este libro las mejores explicaciones. De estas lecturas surgen numerosas inferencias: ¿Cómo y por qué las buenas intenciones del colectivismo de izquierda llevan a los países al infierno? ¿Por qué la libertad no es un subproducto de la prosperidad, sino una de sus causas? Si estuviera en mis manos, esta obra sería de obligada lectura de todos los estudiantes universitarios, pero además, le recomendaría su lectura a todos los políticos, periodistas y policy makers. Con sus escritos Azel logra lo que Frédéric Bastiat consiguiera en Francia y Henry Hazlitt en Estados Unidos: aunar el sentido común, la observación inteligente y la enjundia académica. Estupendo. Carlos Alberto Montaner                                                            Compre Aqui "Liberty for beginners is much more than what the title promises. It is eighty themes touched with the wisdom of a master, and the charm of an excellent communicator. Anyone that wishes to understand why countries do, or do not progress, will find in this book the best explanations. Stupendous" Carlos Alberto Montaner Buy Now "Libertad para novatos es mucho más de lo que promete el título. Son ochenta temas tocados con la sabiduría de un maestro y la amenidad de un excelente comunicador. Cualquier adulto que desee saber por qué progresan o se estancan los pueblos aquí encontrará las mejores explicaciones. Estupendo." Carlos Alberto Montaner Compre Aqui In Reflections on Freedom, José Azel brings together a collection of his columns published in prestigious newspapers.  Each article reveals his heartfelt and personal awareness of the importance of freedom in our lives.  They are his reflections after nearly sixty years of living and learning as a Cuban outside Cuba. In what has become his stylistic trademark, Professor Azel brilliantly introduces complex topics in brief journalistic articles. Buy Now En Reflexiones sobre la libertad José Azel reúne una colección de sus columnas publicadas en prestigiosos periódicos. Cada artículo revela su percepción sincera y personal de la importancia de la libertad en nuestras vidas. Son sus reflexiones después de casi sesenta años viviendo y aprendiendo como cubano fuera de Cuba.  En lo que ha resultado ser característica distintiva de sus artículos, el Profesor Azel introduce con brillantez complejos temas en  breves artículos de carácter periodístico. Compre Aqui Mañana in Cuba is a comprehensive analysis of contemporary Cuba with an incisive perspective of the Cuban frame of mind and its relevancy for Cuba's future. Buy now Pedazos y Vacíos is a collection of poems written in by Dr. Azel in his youth. Poems are in Spanish. Buy now

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Free Cuba Now!

The end of 2025 is fast approaching, that time of the year when people of good will assess the blessings of the present year and make decisions about helping causes they believe in before the stroke of midnight on December 31st.

When you donate to the Center for a Free Cuba, you become a force for human rights in Cuba. Your tax-deductible contribution assists victims of repression, engages in advancing human-rights-centered policies for democratic change, and exposes the crimes of the communist dictatorship in the island.

Plus, if you contribute before December 31st, your donation’s impact will be DOUBLED thanks to the generous match provided by one of our board members.

With the help of people like you, in 2025 CFC was able to support political prisoners and their families in the island; provide humanitarian assistance to independent activists in Cuba; provide relief in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, denounce the violations of human rights of which the Cuban regime is responsible; and keep world leaders, both in foreign governments and the international human rights networks, informed about the real situation that Cuba endures today. All of that is part of our commitment toward a nonviolent struggle for a free and democratic Cuba that we carry on every day.

The following are some highlights over 2025.

• On January 8th, CFC's executive director authored an article in The Hill that made the case against returning to the 2014-2017 detente with the Cuban dictatorship, specifically removing Cuba from the list of state terror sponsors.
• When Miguel Diaz-Canel, and Daniel Ortega attended Nicolas Maduro’s illegitimate inauguration on January 11, 2025 where Dictator Maduro said he would be, “taking up arms together with Cuba and Nicaragua” to preserve “peace” the Center brought attention to it, and called it out.
• When the prior Administration announced that Cuba was being removed from the list of state terror sponsors on January 14, 2025, the Center reached out to Nicaraguan and Venezuelan pro-democracy activists to express our concerns and rejection of the action taken by the White House.
• CFC joined with Russian activists on February 27, 2025 to remember martyred Russian dissidents Boris Nemtsov and Alexei Navalny, and martyred Cuban dissidents Orlando Zapata and Oswaldo Payá, and to call on Cuban mercenaries to leave Ukraine gathered outside the Cuban Embassy in protest, then walked over to the Russian Ambassador’s residence to continue the vigil. 
• When the current Administration shut down Marti Noticias the Center made the case for reopening the station, providing context to its continuing importance and relevance on March 17, 2025.
• On April 10, 2025, the Chairman and Board of Directors of the Center for a Free Cuba sent an urgent appeal to world figures to intercede for the life of political prisoner Alexander Diaz Rodriguez, who is in the Prison Ward of the Abel Santamaría Hospital in Pinar del Rio Province, Cuba, vomiting blood, and amplified his mother’s message.
• On May 1, 2025, the Center for a Free Cuba’s executive director took part in a discussion at the Hudson Institute on Cuba’s Kleptocracy: How It Works and Why It Matters for US Policy with Nora Gamez Torres, of the Miami Herald and Daniel Battle, a former State Department  official and a fellow at the Hudson Institute. The discussion was moderated by Nate Sibley, director of the Kleptocracy Initiative at Hudson.
• On June 6, 2025 the Center’s executive director was invited to speak on a panel discussion at the Rayburn House Office Building on the Chinese Communist Party’s infiltration and manipulation of U.S. institutions. A fire alarm went off in the building during the panel necessitating an evacuation but his presentation was made outside in which he pointed out links between Beijing and Havana in efforts to subvert American institutions. CFC also continued to highlight Havana’s relationship with Beijing, and Chinese spy bases in Cuba targeting the United States since 1992.
• The Center co-authored with Prisoners Defenders, and the Justice Consortium "11J in Cuba The 'Homeland and Life' Protests A report on the July 2021 protests in Cuba and their aftermath." It was made public on July 10, 2025.
• On July 11, 2025 the Center joined with Students for Liberty, and the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation on the four year anniversary of the 11J protests in Cuba to hold a vigil outside the Cuban Embassy in Washington DC. Attention was drawn to the cases of political prisoners in serious health conditions, or under severe repression.
• The Center’s executive director published an OpEd in The Washington Times on August 26, 2025 titled “Sanctions against Cuba work “ that provided an update on the kleptocratic nature of the regime, which included the August 6, 2025 article by Miami Herald reporter Nora Gamez that Cuba’s military junta was hoarding $18 billion in cash reserves, while pleading poverty to avoid making payments on foreign loans, and denying Cuban nationals life saving medicines.
• On September 17, 2025 the Center for a Free Cuba hosted a policy lunch at the Rayburn House Office Building titled “Understanding Cuba’s Crisis and Its Impact on the United States.” It was an in-depth conversation featuring policy experts, firsthand voices from Cuba, filmmaker Jordan Allot, and scenes from his new documentary Cuba’s Eternal Night. CFC’s executive director moderated the event. Activists Ruhama Fernández, and Ariadna Mesa Rubio together with Jordan and fellow filmmaker Luis Alvarez participated in the event organized by the Center. The event focused on Cuba's ongoing repression, exodus, and U.S. policy implications, with film excerpts shown.
• On September 18, 2025 Cuba’s Eternal Night premiered in Washington DC at the Miracle Theater, and was followed by a question and answer session. The film follows five Cubans over two years in the aftermath of the historic July 11, 2021 (11J) protests that took place across Cuba. It explores the ongoing crisis through the prism of government repression and political persecution, the humanitarian crisis, the mass exodus from the island, and the challenges faced by five Cubans inside and outside of the island. It provides an unfiltered view of life in Cuba after 66 years of communism.
• CFC, the Ibero-American Association for Global Security and the Spanish Association Cuba in Transition identified the Cuban government as the origin and essential actor in the consolidation of the “Cartel of Suns”, the criminal network linked to the Venezuelan Armed Forces and the government, recently declared a terrorist organization by the United States and other Ibero-American countries in a report published in September 2025 titled Cuba, Precursor of the "Cartel of the Suns".
• The death of American terrorist and cop killer Assata Shakur (Joanne Chesimard) in Cuba on September 25, 2025 presented the Center with the opportunity to highlight her case, and that of other terrorists harbored by the Cuban dictatorship.
• On October 2, 2025, the Center protested the murder of Russian and Cuban dissidents by Moscow and Havana respectively, and held up a banner with a sampling of Cubans mercenaries identified by Kyiv to be fighting in Putin’s illegal war, called for an end to their involvement, and for Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russia be returned to their families. The demonstration began at the Embassy of Cuba in Washington DC then proceeded down the street to the residence of the Russian Ambassador to the United States.
• On October 29, 2025 the Cuban government’s annual resolution against the U.S. embargo for the first time saw a split in the European vote. Hungary, North Macedonia, and Ukraine joined with the United States to vote against the resolution. While Albania, Bosnia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Moldavia and Romania abstained. Prior to the vote the Center met with diplomats from Central and Eastern Europe regarding the resolution.
• On November 20, 2025 the Center’s executive director was invited by the National Association of Cuban American Educators to address Havana's Threat to the National Security of the United States and hemispheric stability at the American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora in a live stream.
• On December 4, 2025 the Foundation for Economic Education hosted a dinner conversation with John Suarez and Mailyn Salabarria with high school students on the realities of communism in Cuba next to the Pedro Pan exhibition at the Victims of Communism Memorial Museum. 
• On International Human Rights Day (December 10th)  in an event hosted by the Czech Embassy, U.S. counterparts and other key partners, the Center for a Free Cuba moderated the meeting with former Cuban prisoner of conscience and dissident Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia to discuss recent developments on the island, the situation of political prisoners, ongoing repression, and concrete ways the international community can better support Cuban civil society.

Every contribution—large or small—will directly enable our vital research, advocacy, and international pressure to hold the Cuban dictatorship accountable.

 

Please donate via Paypal on our website, or kindly send your check in the name of the Center for a Free Cuba to: Center for a Free Cuba at 417 West Broad St., Suite 204 Falls Church, VA 22046.

Thank you for your generosity and support.

John Suárez

Executive Director

Center for a Free Cuba
417 West Broad St. Suite 204
Falls Church, VA 22046

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Free Cuba Now!

 

“Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.”- Hebrews 13:3

 

The Center for a Free Cuba wishes you a Merry Christmas and a Happy Hanukkah!

 

Christians are celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, and the promise of freedom and peace he embodies.

 

The first night of Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, fell on December 14th this year, and in 2025 should have special meaning for Cubans.

 

This Jewish holiday celebrates the Maccabean Revolt of 165 BC against the attempt by the Greeks to impose pagan practices on the Jewish people.

 

At a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Australia on December 14th, two gunmen murdered fifteen people, including a 10-year-old girl Matilda Britvan,  a couple approaching their 35th wedding anniversary, and Alex Kleytman, a Holocaust survivor, who protected his wife. It was an antisemitic act of terror that sought to eclipse the Festival of Lights.

 

In defiance of this terrorism, of this darkness, Hanukkah was celebrated in Australia, and around the World, demonstrating resilience, perseverance, the triumph of light over darkness, and the freedom to practice one's faith.

 

Cubans, of all faiths, have been denied their religious freedoms for decades by the communist dictatorship on the island. Christmas was prohibited from 1969 to 1997, priests, brothers, and a Cuban bishop were forcibly deported at gunpoint.  Others were sent to forced labor camps.

 

Jewish children have been forbidden by Cuban educational officials from wearing a kippah in school. Anti-Semitic tropes continue to be spread by the Cuban dictatorship.

 

In 2025, this failed regime continued to repeatedly plunge all of Cuba into darkness with a collapsed electrical grid due to years of lack of maintenance, and neglect. Today, there are over 1,150 political prisonerson the island.

 

Nevertheless, we must not despair, both Christmas and Hanukkah offer the promise that darkness cannot resist light, and tyrants and terrorists will eventually be brought down, but we must do our part in resisting evil.

 

Please join us in this campaign for a Christmas when all political prisoners have been freed. Share this image and hashtag: #ForAChristmasWithoutPoliticalPrisoners

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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