While Verizon Communications Inc. and dealmaker Carlos Slim may lose a stake in Venezuela's CANTV thanks to the Venezuelan president's plan to nationalize the telecom, opportunities in Cuba may be on the horizon. Cuban economists are taking advantage of Fidel Castro's absence to talk about economic reforms like private ownership and market liberalization, according to a Wall Street Journal story. However, out of fear of a potential purge similar to one in 1996 prompted by a similar debate, the economists are only publicly discussing more employee-owned co-ops, which vaguely resemble Israel's modern kibbutzim, but are likely talking about Chinese-style market reforms behind closed doors. Perhaps it is only a matter of time before real market reforms come to the island, leading to opportunities not only for tourism industry, but the likes of broadcasting, telecom and others — especially if the U.S. follows by lifting its embargo. —Matthew Wurtzel
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See related story from Reuters
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