Cuban economist and political scientist Esteban Morales died this Wednesday at the age of 79, according to the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (Uneac).
Born in Cárdenas, Matanzas, Morales had a doctorate in Political Economy from the Lomonosov University in Moscow, but his work was at the University of Havana as a professor, dean of the Faculty of Humanities and director of the Center for Studies on the United States.
The economist was a member of Uneac, on whose website he published, in 2010, an article that led to his expulsion – for a few months, since he was later readmitted – from the Communist Party of Cuba. In it, he stated that “corruption is much more dangerous than so-called internal dissidence.”
On that occasion, Morales wrote a letter to the Vice Minister of Culture, Fernando Rojas, where he demanded to debate the bill
In 2018, they protested by not being allowed to debate the Constitutional reform within the organization. On that occasion, Morales wrote a letter to the Vice Minister of Culture, Fernando Rojas, where he demanded that the bill be debated.
This Wednesday, President Miguel Díaz-Canel spoke, however, with praising words about the death of the academic: “We will miss his intelligent, incisive and committed evaluation of the problems of our time. My condolences to family, friends and the Cuban intelligentsia , who gave prestige to his work”.
Among Morales’ works as an essayist, the following stand out: Underdeveloped countries in the sixties (1982), The United States-Cuba conflict (1990) or Challenges of the racial problem in Cuba (2007). The last of his publications was, in 2014, the second edition of From confrontation to attempts at “normalization”. The policy of the United States towards Cuba.
Morales’ publications received awards for scientific work at the University of Havana, on three occasions. In addition, he received the scientific award from the Ministry of Higher Education and the Carlos J. Finlay Order.
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