America Abroad

There's hope in Cuba that the 'corrupt' US baseball pipeline could vanish

Cuban baseball players looking to come to the US have to jump through serious hoops to get here. But changes in US-Cuba relations may finally fix that.

The Bella ll Health and Beauty Institute, a beauty salon in Havana

Cuban cooperatives present a new economic model

Over the last few years, the Cuban government has been experimenting with turning state enterprises into cooperatives and letting the workers own and run them. They're seen by some as a way of opening the country up to capitalism and privatization while maintaining some of the revolution’s collectivist ideals. And so far, Cubans seem to like them.

Arianna Mendez and Chris Alvarez in the entryway of Alvarez's home. The couple don't always agree on the US' policy toward Cuba.

One family, two sides: Debating the new US policy on Cuba over dinner

The recently announced thaw between the US and Cuba divides opinions, even within some families of Cuban Americans.

How underground technology is revolutionizing Cuba

In Cuba, electronic communication can be tricky for people on the island trying to reach the outside world. It's not only daunting — but can be dangerous. Despite those obstacles, Cubans have found ingenious ways to make their voices heard.

Vintage Postcard of Cruise from Miami to Havana

No cigar just yet: Many obstacles remain before complete normalization with Cuba

President Barack Obama’s December 17 announcement that he would begin normalizing relations with Cuba sparked hot debate on both sides of the Florida Strait. It also began a political process that won’t end until a highly fractious Congress can agree on new legislation, not likely to happen any time soon. Among other obstacles is the long-questioned human rights record of the Castro regime. Independent watchdog organization Freedom House says Cuba falls just shy of its “worst of the worst list” for denying its citizens political rights and civil liberties.

America and Cuba: After the Thaw

President Obama's announcement to begin normalizing relations with Cuba marks the most significant change in US policy toward the island nation in a half century. But as America looks to make it easier to travel to the country and establish more economic ties, what does that mean for the average Cuban or Cuban American?

President Obama meets with King Abdullah of Jordan

Why Jordan is at the epicenter of nearly all Middle Eastern issues

The rise of ISIS is connected to Jordan. The Israeli-Palestinian crisis plays out in the shadow of Jordan. The Syrian civil war and it's ensuing refugee crisis are taking a heavy toll on Jordan. Even the Iranian nuclear talks has a connection to Jordan. So, why Jordan, a landlocked country with few natural resources but tremendous importance for American foreign policy, at the middle of it all.

Middle East comedians are using ISIS to make jokes

The rise of ISIS and their brutal acts of terror have been a horrifying development in the past year. And yet within in the Middle Eastern artistic community, an unlikely group of voices has begun to stand up to try and combat’s the group’s message of fear and intolerance: comedians.

Why some Afghans are raising their girls as boys

Afghanistan has a tradition of raising young girls as boys, in order to afford them more rights and the family more opportunities. And it works — though it's not always easy.

Turkey faces a daunting challenge in trying to educate hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees

Inside Syria, almost six million children have been affected by the country's ongoing civil war, and millions more have fled the country to find safety in refugee camps. Turkey, for example, has opened its doors to about a million-and-a-half Syrian refugees since spring 2011. But as the war drags on, Turkey is finding itself with a long-term humanitarian and education problem.

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