Toma nota.../Take note...

Rabat, Nov. 4 (DPnet).– El Sahara Occidental, conocido como Río de Oro desde la colonización española en 1476, era un territorio desértico escasamente poblado por algunas tribus nómadas conocidas como bereberes hasta que España lo convirtió en un territorio de ultramar en 1884 denominado Sáhara español. 

En 1974, España anunció sus planes para conceder mayor autonomía a los saharauis y para celebrar un referéndum durante la primavera de 1975. Marruecos se opuso al proyecto español, en tanto que la ONU forzó a España a suspender el referéndum y a acudir al Tribunal Internacional de Justicia de La Haya, que dictaminó en favor de la libre determinación del territorio.

El 21 de agosto de 1975, el Departamento de Estado de los Estados Unidos dio luz verde a un proyecto estratégico secreto de la CIA, financiado por Arabia Saudí, para arrebatar la provincia del Sahara Español a España, siendo el Sahara un territorio vital desde el punto geoestratégico, rico en fosfatos, hierro, petróleo y gas, que Estados Unidos no quería dejar en manos de España debido al régimen de Franco.

ASCE meets at its 2025 Annual Conference: 
"Recovering Cuba"

From October 24 to 25, 2025, at Florida International University, we brought together scholars, economists, and practitioners for two days of insightful debate, research presentations, and meaningful exchanges on Cuba’s economic and social realities—centered around the theme Recovering Cuba.

In this issue, you’ll find highlights recognizing the main contributions of our ASCE members, recent publications, and member interviews that continue the dialogue on Cuba’s evolving economic, political, and cultural landscape, along with other news of interest.

Global Push for a Digital ID—and Its Threat to Freedom
by Doug Casey

Money is a primary manifestation of personal freedom. Money isn’t just an economic good; it’s a moral good. It represents the hours of your life you spent earning it, and all that you hope to provide for yourself and others in the future. It is, in effect, congealed or crystallized life.

Those who want to control other people —collectivists, statists, Marxists, the Woke, socialists, and the like— naturally want to limit the uses and the value of money. Enforcing the use of fiat currencies issued by central banks is the ideal way of doing that. It amounts to a giant fraud. But the average person stupidly accepts it as part of the cosmic firmament.

People have been told that in a democracy, they’re the rulers. In reality, democracy in today’s world is just mob rule dressed up in a coat and tie. It amounts to a secular religion, where the State is a god, and politicians are its priests. When it comes to financial matters, the public has become accustomed to doing what they’re told.

Democratic backsliding, disinformation, impunity, and authoritarianism are undermining democracy in Europe. People are increasingly afraid and frustrated. They see the international rules-based order that has built and secured our democratic societies unravelling before their eyes.

It comes at a time when democratic security – the resilience of our democratic institutions, freedoms, and values – is our first line of defence against the threats we face.

A collective response is needed. 

There is no quick fix and no single solution. With the New Democratic Pact, the Council of Europe unites with its partners to boost solutions that work and create new responses. To identify them, consultations are needed.