About The Cuban Studies Institute

The Cuban Studies Institute objectives are to preserve and disseminate the history and culture of Cuba; provide research and information about contemporary Cuba, U.S.-Cuba relations and Cuban-Americans and prepare for change in the island. We are a depository of the most comprehensive contemporary information on Cuba and sponsor research, seminars and briefings for the public and private sectors.

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(786) 308-0908

Meet the Cuban Studies Institute

Jaime Suchlicki

Founder president of the Cuban Studies Institute

He is the author of Cuba: From Columbus to Castro & Beyond, now in its fifth edition, Mexico: From Montezuma to the Rise of the PAN, now in its second edition, Breve Historia de Cuba, University Students and Revolution in Cuba, 1920–1968, Historical Dictionary of Cuba, The Cuban Military Under Castro, and The Cuban Revolution: A Documentary Bibliography, 1952–1968. He also co-edited, with Irving Louis Horowitz, the influential volume Cuban Communism. A leading scholar of Cuban and Latin American history, he taught at the University of Miami for half a century, where he held major academic and research positions and served as founder and director of the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies (ICCAS), based at Casa Bacardí, which under his leadership became a major intellectual hub for research, analysis, and debate on Cuba and Cuban-American affairs. In addition to his distinguished scholarly career, he has served as a highly regarded consultant to both the public and private sectors.

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Luis Leonel León

Executive Director of the Cuban Studies Institute

Specializing in Cuban studies through essays, journalism, historical research, and audiovisual works, his work has appeared in El Nuevo Herald, Diario Las Américas, The American Spectator, El Nacional, Disidentia, and La Gaceta de la Iberósfera. He has written on artists (Rafael Soriano, Arturo Rodríguez, César Trasovares, and William Osorio) and Cuban authors (Dulce María Loynaz, Guillermo Cabrera Infante, César Reynel Aguilera, and Carlos Alberto Montaner), among others. He has also curated art exhibitions and film series in the United States, Cuba, Spain, and Latin America. He has produced films and documentary series on Cuban history, culture, and exile (Mariel: 40 años, Brigada 2506: Héroes cubanos, and 8 × 8: Mujeres cubanas en busca de la libertad). His books include La libertad y la isla, Historias de Cuba, and Breve manual contra la trampa socialista. He is a member of the Academy of the History of Cuba in Exile.

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Senior Research Associates

Gustavo Pérez-Firmat

Cuban-born writer, poet, and scholar, and David Feinson Professor Emeritus of Humanities at Columbia University. His work explores Cuban and Cuban-American identity, exile, bilingualism, literature, and popular culture. He is the author of Life on the Hyphen, Next Year in Cuba, The Cuban Condition, and The Havana Habit, among numerous works of criticism, memoir, and poetry. He coordinates CSI’s Cultural Research Group.

Carlos Alberto Montaner (†)

Cuban writer, journalist, political analyst, and one of the foremost intellectual voices of the Cuban exile. A longtime columnist for *El Nuevo Herald* and analyst for CNN en Español, he authored numerous books on Cuba, democracy, and Latin America and was a prominent defender of liberal democracy and freedom for Cuba.

Martín Aróstegui

Terrorism analyst and veteran foreign correspondent who has reported from conflict zones around the world for Voice of America, The Wall Street Journal, The Daily Telegraph, Fox News, CNN, The Washington Times, The American Spectator, The Times of London, and Diario Las Américas. He is the author of Twilight Warriors, a book on special operations forces published by Bloomsbury and St. Martin’s Press.

Gustavo Pita Céspedes

Cuban philosopher, researcher, translator, and professor in the Department of East Asian Studies at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. A specialist in Japanese philosophy, Buddhism, and warrior culture, he is the author of *Genealogía y transformación de la cultura bushi en Japón* and has translated major works of Japanese literature into Spanish.

Alfredo Triff

Cuban-American philosopher, essayist, art critic, violinist, composer, and university professor. He teaches philosophy at Miami Dade College and design history at the University of Miami. His interdisciplinary work explores aesthetics, contemporary art, music, and Cuban political culture. His books include Miami Picadillo and Why the Cuban People Still Support Castroism.

Eduardo Lolo

Cuban historian, literary critic, bibliographer, and professor of Spanish language and Hispanic literature at Kingsborough Community College, City University of New York. A full member of the North American Academy of the Spanish Language, he has written extensively on José Martí, Hispanic literature, children’s literature, and Spanish-language publishing in the United States. He coordinates CSI’s Martí Studies Research Group.

Juan José López-Díaz

Cuban human rights lawyer, former political prisoner, dissident, and independent journalist. He advised and helped establish several opposition and professional organizations, including the Agramontista Current and the Cuban Liberal Current, which he later chaired. A co-author of the Cuban Council convocation, he has continued from exile as an analyst and advocate for democratic change in Cuba. He coordinates CSI in North Carolina.

Mario González-Corzo

Mario González-Corzo, Ph.D., is Professor of Economics at Lehman College, CUNY, and Lecturer in Finance at Columbia University. His research focuses on Cuba’s economic transformations, agriculture, banking, remittances, and emerging private sector. He is also a Faculty Fellow at CUNY’s Bildner Center and a contributing editor to the Handbook of Latin American Studies.

Julio M. Shiling

Political scientist, author, lecturer, and media commentator specializing in totalitarian systems, democratic transitions, and Cuban affairs. He directs the political forum and digital publications Patria de Martí and The CubanAmerican Voice and is the author of fourteen books, including Dictatorships and Their Paradigms: Why Do Some Dictatorships Fall While Others Do Not? He coordinates CSI’s Political Research Group.

Graciella Cruz Taura

Historian and retired professor specializing in Cuban and Cuban-American history and Latin American intellectual history. Her publications include Espejo de paciencia y Silvestre de Balboa en la historia de Cuba, and she co-edited the landmark bilingual art volume Outside Cuba/Fuera de Cuba: Contemporary Cuban Visual Artists. She has also curated exhibitions on Cuban history, exile, and the diaspora.

Octavio de la Suarée

Cuban-American historian, literary scholar, essayist, and professor emeritus at William Paterson University, where he chaired the Department of Language, Literature, and Culture. President of the Cuban Academy of History in Exile, he specializes in Cuban and Cuban-American literature and history. His books include Poetas cubanos en Nueva York and La familia Borrero.

Robert D. Cruz

Founder and Principal of Economic Analysis & Research Group, Inc., specializing in quantitative analysis, regional economic development, macroeconomic forecasting, and economic modeling. He previously served as Chief Economist for Miami-Dade County and Florida TaxWatch and held academic and administrative positions at Miami Dade College, Barry University, and Florida International University.

Ambassador Otto Reich

Cuban-American diplomat and foreign policy expert. He served as U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, and Special Envoy for Western Hemisphere Initiatives. He writes and comments extensively on Cuba, Venezuela, hemispheric security, democratic governance, and U.S. foreign policy in Latin America.

Antonio Correa Iglesias

Cuban writer, philosopher, historian, and art critic. He coordinated the University of Miami’s Philosophy and Ethics Program in Cuba from 2011 to 2022. His work examines Cuban history, national identity, aesthetics, and contemporary art. He is the author of Cuba: History and Perspectives of an Eschatology and Elusive Aesthetics. He coordinates CSI’s Philosophical Research Group.

Eloy Cepero

Cuban music historian, author, and collector specializing in the preservation of Cuba’s musical and cultural heritage. He has published several books on Cuban history and holds one of the largest private collections of Cuban recordings, postcards, photographs, and cultural memorabilia.

Marcelo Fajardo-Cárdenas

Cuban professor, researcher, documentary filmmaker, and cultural scholar at the University of Mary Washington in Virginia. Founder and researcher of the cultural project En el Jardín, dedicated to the life and work of Cervantes Prize–winning author Dulce María Loynaz, he has also studied Cuban literature and theater. He is a member of the Cuban Academy of History in Exile. He coordinates CSI in Virginia.

Leonardo Calvo Cárdenas

Cuban historian, columnist, and political analyst specializing in contemporary history, civil society, race relations, and the political affairs of Cuba and the United States. He has contributed to publications including El Nuevo Conservador, CubaNet, Nueva Frontera, Consenso, Noticias Consenso, Encuentro en la Red, and Primavera de Cuba. He coordinates CSI in Texas.

Marcos Antonio Ramos

Cuban historian, theologian, essayist, and professor specializing in Caribbean history and the history of religion. A full member of the North American Academy of the Spanish Language and corresponding member of the Royal Spanish Academy, he has authored more than ten books on Cuba, the Caribbean, and religious history.

Ricardo Bacallao

Cuban filmmaker, screenwriter, and director whose work explores migration, exile, memory, identity, and the Cuban diaspora. His films include The Uncle’s Request, Bebo, and I Never Left: Six Cuban Women Artists in New York. He has also documented the Cuban experience in Germany through several films and documentaries. He coordinates CSI in Germany.

Roland J. Behar

Cuban political analyst, columnist, and former political prisoner with academic training in biochemistry at the University of Havana. He has written on Cuban affairs, liberal democracy, the Middle East, Israel, and Jewish life, and has contributed to El Nuevo Conservador and El Nuevo Herald. He has served as director of Unión Liberal Cubana and as chair of the Anti-Defamation League’s Hispanic Jewish Initiative in Florida. He coordinates CSI’s Judeo-Cuban Research Group.

Joe Suárez

Cuban journalist, writer, documentary filmmaker, and political analyst specializing in Cuban affairs, human rights, religious freedom, and political repression. He is the author of several works of nonfiction, including Leviatán: Cuban Political Police and Socialist Terror and Hoz y cruz, and has worked extensively in journalism and audiovisual media, covering Cuban and international affairs for a range of publications and media outlets.

Julio Lorente

Cuban visual artist, writer, essayist, and political analyst specializing in Cuban political thought, philosophy, culture, and contemporary history. A graduate of the University of the Arts (ISA) in Havana, his artistic and intellectual work critically examines totalitarianism, ideology, national identity, and Cuba’s political and cultural evolution. He has contributed to El Nuevo Conservador and other independent Cuban media.

Ignacio Uría

Professor of Contemporary History and Director of the Department of History and Philosophy at the University of Alcalá. A specialist in modern Cuban history, he is the author of Iglesia y revolución en Cuba, Bajo dos banderas, and Viento norte: La primera ocupación militar norteamericana de Cuba, 1899–1902.

CSI Circle of Distinguished Friends

Irina Vilariño

Cuban American entrepreneur and business executive, co-owner of Las Vegas Cuban Cuisine, a restaurant group in South Florida. Her career has focused on entrepreneurship, business development, and civic engagement within the Cuban American community. She was invited by President Donald Trump to the White House during the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Yipsi Martín

Healthcare entrepreneur and executive, co-owner and manager of Estrella Medical Centers and Behavioral Centers of South Florida. Her work focuses on healthcare administration, business development, and the management of primary care and behavioral health services.

Orencio Ruíz Jr.

Entrepreneur and accounting professional, CEO of Best Vision Accounting, a Miami-based firm providing accounting, tax, and financial services to individuals and businesses. His work focuses on business development, financial management, and entrepreneurship. A native of Tapaste, he inherited from his father, who was also born there, a deep appreciation for Cuban history and culture. Inspired by that legacy, he is currently preparing a book and documentary about his father and the history of his hometown.