As the balance of global power shifts East, the Cuban economy appears to be heading less toward the free market policies of Washington DC and more toward the state capitalism of Beijing.

"It requires an act of Congress to change [The United States policies against Cuba], but that ain’t going to happen any time soon," said AS/COA Christopher Sabatini.

Cuba held its first party conference on January 28 and 29 to “update” the country’s ruling Communist Party, but some question if the reforms will go far enough.

An AS/COA panel explored the ramifications of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's January 2012 visit to Latin America, as well as Tehran's ties to the region.

Choreographer Rodrigo Pederneiras, jazz legend Paquito D’Rivera, and Limón Artistic Director Carla Maxwell discussed the company’s new collaboration.

Havana’s new laws on the sale of private property took effect November 10. They fit into the larger context of reforms enacted by Raúl Castro since he assumed power in 2008.

Cuba observers of the Arab Spring wonder if Havana's autocratic regime is next to fall. "It isn't," writes AS/COA's Christopher Sabatini for CNN's Global Public Square,"and we have U.S. policy partly to blame."