Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada (born May 21, 1937) is a
CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean. It consists of the island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city. Cuba is home to over 11 million people and is...
n politician who has been the President of the
National Assembly of People's Power of CubaThe National Assembly of People’s Power is the legislative parliament of the Republic of Cuba and the supreme body of State power. Its members are elected from single-member electoral districts for a term of five years. The Assembly's current President is Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada...
(ANPP) since 1993. A graduate of the
University of HavanaThe University of Havana or UH is a university located in the Vedado district of Havana, Cuba. Founded in 1728, the University of Havana is the oldest university in Cuba and one of the first to be founded in the Americas...
with a doctorate in philosophy, he served in various diplomatic posts following the
Cuban RevolutionThe Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt that led to the overthrow of U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista of Cuba on January 1, 1959 by the 26th of July Movement led by Fidel Castro....
.
Alarcón was born in
HavanaHavana is the capital city, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city is one of the 14 Cuban provinces. The city/province has 2.4 million inhabitants, and the urban area over 3.7 million, making Havana the largest city in both Cuba and the Caribbean region...
. He entered the University of Havana in 1954 and became active in the Federation of University Students (FEU), serving as the secretary of culture for the FEU from 1955 to 1956.
Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada (born May 21, 1937) is a
CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean. It consists of the island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city. Cuba is home to over 11 million people and is...
n politician who has been the President of the
National Assembly of People's Power of CubaThe National Assembly of People’s Power is the legislative parliament of the Republic of Cuba and the supreme body of State power. Its members are elected from single-member electoral districts for a term of five years. The Assembly's current President is Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada...
(ANPP) since 1993. A graduate of the
University of HavanaThe University of Havana or UH is a university located in the Vedado district of Havana, Cuba. Founded in 1728, the University of Havana is the oldest university in Cuba and one of the first to be founded in the Americas...
with a doctorate in philosophy, he served in various diplomatic posts following the
Cuban RevolutionThe Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt that led to the overthrow of U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista of Cuba on January 1, 1959 by the 26th of July Movement led by Fidel Castro....
.
Biography
Alarcón was born in
HavanaHavana is the capital city, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city is one of the 14 Cuban provinces. The city/province has 2.4 million inhabitants, and the urban area over 3.7 million, making Havana the largest city in both Cuba and the Caribbean region...
. He entered the University of Havana in 1954 and became active in the Federation of University Students (FEU), serving as the secretary of culture for the FEU from 1955 to 1956. Alarcón would become active in Castro's
26th of July MovementThe 26th of July Movement was the revolutionary organization planned and led by Fidel Castro that in 1959 overthrew the Fulgencio Batista government in Cuba...
, which was attempting to oust Cuban
PresidentThe President of Cuba is the Head of state of Cuba. According to the Cuban Constitution of 1976, the President is the chief executive of the Council of State of Cuba. The president of the Council of State is, at the same time, the head of state and head of government...
Fulgencio BatistaFulgencio Batista y Zaldívar was a Cuban general, President, and U.S.-backed dictator. He served as the leader of Cuba from 1933-1944, and 1952-1959, before being overthrown as a result of the Cuban Revolution.-Early life:...
, in July 1955. Alarcón assisted in the organization of the student apparatus of the guerrilla organization's youth brigade. Alarcón would be elected vice president of the FEU in 1959 and would serve as president of the student organization from 1961 to 1962.
In 1962, the new Castro-led government appointed Alarcón director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Americas division, where he would begin his diplomatic career. Between 1966 and 1978 he served as Permanent Representative of Cuba to the
United NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and the achieving of world peace...
, Vice President of the General Assembly of the United Nations, President of the Council of Administration to the United Nations Development Programme, and Vice-President of the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. In 1978 Alarcón was promoted to first vice-minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. While serving as Permanent Representative to the UN for a second time, Alarcón was President of the Security Council in February 1990 and July 1991. In 1992 was made Minister of Foreign Affairs, and in February 1993 he became the President of the National Assembly.
In August 2000, Alarcón was involved in a minor dispute with the United States when he was denied a visa to attend an international conference in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
. Alarcón lived in
ManhattanManhattan is one of the five boroughs of New York City, located primarily on Manhattan Island at the mouth of the Hudson River.New York County, which has the same boundaries as the Borough of Manhattan , is the most densely populated county in the United States, with a 2008 population of 1,634,795...
for over twelve years but because of his status as a Cuban government official he is only allowed within a 25 mile radius of the United Nations.
On December 2, 2003, then-Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security
John R. BoltonJohn Robert Bolton , is an American conservative political figure who has been employed in several Republican presidential administrations...
charged that Cuba, along with
IranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran is a country in Western Asia. The name Iran has been in use natively since the Sassanid period and came into international use from 1935, before which the country was known internationally as Persia...
,
North KoreaNorth Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , is a state in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer area between North Korea and South Korea...
,
SyriaSyria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south and Israel to the southwest....
, and
LibyaLibya , officially the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya , is a country located in North Africa...
, were "
rogue stateRogue state is a term applied by some international theorists to states considered threatening to the world's peace. This means meeting certain criteria, such as being ruled by authoritarian regimes that severely restrict human rights, sponsor terrorism, and seek to proliferate weapons of mass...
s...whose pursuit of
weapons of mass destructionThe term weapon of mass destruction is often used to describe a weapon that can kill large numbers of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures , natural structures , or the biosphere in general....
makes them hostile to U.S. interests [and who] will learn that their covert programs will not escape either detection or consequences." In response, Alarcón called Bolton "a liar" and cited US claims pertaining to
IraqIraq , officially the Republic of Iraq , also known as Mesopotamia, is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert.Iraq shares borders with Jordan to the west, Syria...
's
weapons of mass destructionDuring the Presidency of Saddam Hussein, the nation of Iraq used, possessed, and made efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction . Hussein was internationally known for his use of chemical weapons in the 1980s against Kurdish civilians during and after the Iran–Iraq War...
in justification of the
Iraq WarThe 2003 invasion of Iraq, was led by the United States, backed by British forces and smaller contingents from Australia, Denmark, Poland and Spain. Four countries participated with troops during the initial invasion phase, which lasted from March 20 to May 1...
which were later found to be incorrect.
Following the January 2008 parliamentary election, Alarcón was re-elected as President of the National Assembly on February 24 2008.
Alarcón is a vocal promoter of Cuban policies in the international media, particularly on contemporary issues such as the defense of the "
Cuban FiveThe Cuban Five are five Cuban intelligence officers convicted of espionage, conspiracy to commit murder, and other illegal activities in the United States...
" and the
extraditionExtradition is the official process whereby one nation or state requests and obtains from another nation or state the surrender of a suspected or convicted criminal. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
request for Luis Posada, sought by the
VenezuelaVenezuela , officially titled Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It is a continental mainland with numerous islands located off its coastline in the Caribbean Sea...
n government on charges relating to the bombing of
Cubana Flight 455Cubana Flight 455 was a Cubana flight from Barbados to Jamaica that was brought down by a terrorist attack on October 6, 1976. All 73 people on board the Douglas DC-8 aircraft were killed in what was then the most deadly terrorist airline attack in the Western hemisphere...
on October 6, 1976.
Family
Alarcon was married to Margarita Perea Maza (?- February 9, 2008).
Further reading
- Ricardo Alarcón and Reinaldo Suarez, Cuba y Su Democracia (Editorial de Ciencias Sociales 2004) ISBN 9871158068
- Fidel Castro and Ricardo Alarcón, EE.UU. fuera del oriente medio (Pathfinder Press 2001) ISBN 0873486250
- Ricardo Alarcón and Mary Murray Cuba and the United States : an interview with Cuban Foreign Minister, Ricardo Alaron (Ocean Press 1992) ISBN 1875284699
General
Article by Alarcón de Quesada
Interviews
- "The Papal Impact" February 4, 1998 The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer is an evening television news program broadcast weeknights on PBS in the United States. Unlike most other evening newscasts in the country, each edition is an hour long. The program also runs longer segments than most other news outlets in the U.S., with in-depth...
.
- "Ricardo Alarcon Interview" October 25, 2004 The Current CBC Radio
CBC Radio is the radio division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The division operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches.-English:CBC Radio operates three English language networks....
.
- "Part I: An Interview with Cuban VP Ricardo Alarcon" February 17, 2005 Z Magazine.
- "Part II: An Interview with Cuban VP Ricardo Alarcon" March 11, 2005 Z Magazine.
- "Interview: Is Posada Still Working for the White House?" April 19, 2005 CounterPunch
Counterpunch can refer to:* Counterpunch , a punch in boxing* CounterPunch, a bi-weekly political newsletter* Counterpunch , a type of punch used in traditional typography* Punch-Counterpunch, a Transformers character...
.
- "Exclusive: Top Cuban Official Ricardo Alarcon Demands U.S. Hand Over Terrorist Posada" May 9, 2005 Democracy Now!.
- "Wayne S. Smith Interview with Ricardo Alarcon" June 29, 2005 Center for International Policy.
- "Alarcon Defends Imprisonment of 'Independent Librarians' in Cuba, Cites Washington's Funding of Anti-Castro Groups in Havana" September 21, 2005 Democracy Now!.
- "Alarcon Demands Immediate Release of 'Cuban 5': 'They Are Now Kidnapped'" September 21, 2005 Democracy Now!.
- "Cuba's Number 2, Ricardo Alarcon, Blasts 'Neoliberal' Katrina Response" September 21, 2005 Democracy Now!.
- "Cuban Five Update" March 6, 2006 Law and Disorder.
- "Cuban National Assembly President Ricardo Alarcon Says Castro is 'Very Alive and Very Alert'" August 2, 2006 Democracy Now!
- "Official Puts Castro's Absence at 'Some Weeks'" August 2, 2006 NPR
National Public Radio is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to 797 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, signed into law...
: All Things ConsideredAll Things Considered is National Public Radio's flagship news program. It was the first news program on the network, and is broadcast live worldwide through several outlets...
- "Top Cuban Official Ricardo Alarcón on Castro's Condition and Cuba's Future" December 5, 2006 Democracy Now!
Other
- "You Should Not Expect A Miracle" January 26, 1998 Time
Time is an American newsmagazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong. As of 2009, Time no longer publishes a Canadian advertiser edition...
.
- "Cuba After the Pope" February 9, 1998 The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.
- "Cuba Carefully Watching U.S. Policy in the Making" September 24, 2004 Morning Edition.
- "U.S. Plans for Post-Castro Cuba" October 20, 2004 Morning Edition.
- "Cuban official demands action on Posada" April 29, 2005 NBC News
NBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. Its current president is Steve Capus.-Caravan era:The first American television newscast in history was made by NBC News on February 21, 1940, anchored by Lowell Thomas and airing weeknights at 6:45 pm. In 1948, NBC teamed up with...
.
- Behind Raul, generals rule
- "The Work of Karl Marx and the Challenges of the 21st Century" by Ricardo Alarcon May 3, 2006 Political Affairs Magazine
Political Affairs Magazine is a monthly, online Marxist publication. It aims to provide an analysis of events from a working class point of view. Political Affairs Magazine is a publication of the Communist Party USA. It was founded in 1944 upon the closure of its predecessor, The Communist, which...