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Camila Piñeiro Harnecker, a professor at the University of Havana and a prominent expert in cooperative economics and Cuban socialism, received indirect funding in 2022 from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through an organization where she was employed.
The revelation has sparked a wave of reactions, due to the historical figure of his father, Manuel Piñeiro Losada, alias ‘Barbarroja’, head of Cuban intelligence and promoter of guerrilla and communist movements in Latin America.
The American analyst J. Michael Waller from the Center for Security Policy reported on his X account (formerly Twitter) that USAID funded an entity where Piñeiro Harnecker was employed, suggesting a potential conflict of interest.
Furthermore, Stephen Richardson, another user of the social network, highlighted that this funding raises questions about the influence of the United States in the ideological and economic sphere of Cuba, as the professor has dedicated herself to the analysis and promotion of the cooperative model as part of a renewed socialism on the Island.
A political and media connection
Beyond her academic career, Piñeiro Harnecker's profile has generated controversy due to her marital connection to Nick Miroff, a reporter covering the Department of Homeland Security for The Washington Post, who was stationed in Havana from 2010 to 2017 as a correspondent for Latin America.
This connection has sparked speculation about a possible intersection between U.S. foreign policy and the media portrayal of Cuban socialism. Piñeiro Harnecker's relationship with a member of the staff of a highly influential media outlet in Washington has intensified the debate over the connections between power structures and the narrative about Cuba in the international press.
Camila's father, Manuel Piñeiro Losada, was a fundamental pillar of Cuban intelligence during the Cold War and a key figure in the exportation of the Castro revolution to Latin America.
His role in leading the America Department of the Communist Party of Cuba made him a strategic figure in supporting insurgent movements in the region. Now, the fact that his daughter has benefited from funds provided by a U.S. agency adds an ironic and complex nuance to the story.
Economic thought and the socialist model
Piñeiro Harnecker has been one of the most influential voices in the debate on the evolution of Cuban socialism, as evidenced by her publication history on the portal Rebelión, which is aligned with the regime in Havana.
In her book ‘Rethinking Cuban Socialism: Proposals for a Democratic and Cooperative Economy’, the academic argued that economic liberalization should not imply a renunciation of socialist principles, but rather an opportunity to democratize production through self-management and participatory planning.
For the economist, the key to the future of the Cuban model lies not in an indiscriminate opening to the market, but in building an economy based on cooperatives and the involvement of workers in economic decision-making.
In this regard, the controversy surrounding USAID funding has raised questions about whether Piñeiro Harnecker's inclusion in projects with U.S. support represents an ideological contradiction or a pragmatic strategy to access resources that would allow her to develop her studies on cooperativism.
Political and academic implications
The funding from USAID has been a recurring topic in the Cuban political debate and is at the center of attention of the Trump administration.
Historically, the Cuban regime has rejected any type of cooperation from this agency, accusing it of being a tool for interference and destabilization. However, the participation of Cuban academics in projects funded by this organization suggests a partial, controlled, and covert openness to international cooperation in specific areas.
The case of Piñeiro Harnecker highlights the complexities and contradictions within the debate on socialism in Cuba. His work represents one of the most reformist lines within the Cuban establishment, proposing a model based on self-management and economic decentralization, while not abandoning fundamental socialist principles.
Meanwhile, the revelation of her connection to funds from a U.S. agency has opened a new chapter in the underlying history of relations between Cuba and the United States.
Privatization of cooperatives and its impact on the Cuban economic model
In an analysis published in 2023, Piñeiro Harnecker denounced the conversion of Cuban cooperatives into private SMEs as a serious issue requiring immediate attention.
According to the expert, this phenomenon not only weakens the cooperative economy on the island, but it also represents a covert process of privatization that could lead to an increase in unemployment and economic inequality.
Piñeiro Harnecker argued that the conversion of successful cooperatives into private enterprises was due to legal loopholes and the absence of a General Law on Cooperatives in Cuba. This legal gap has allowed private interests to take over collective means of production, leaving cooperative workers unprotected.
Furthermore, he warned that if the Cuban government did not take measures to curb this trend, many cooperatives could be absorbed by private actors, consolidating a more unequal economic model.
According to the economist, the solution lay in reforming the legal framework to prevent the arbitrary dissolution of cooperatives and strengthen their role in the Cuban economy as a sustainable alternative to the state model or purely private ownership.
Area Director at NCBA CLUSA
Camila Piñeiro Harnecker is the Director of the Cooperative and Producer Organizations Strengthening Area at NCBA CLUSA. She joined NCBA CLUSA in June 2019 as a technical specialist in cooperative development.
Before that, she worked as a consultant in cooperative development at Keystone Development Center and was a researcher at the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies at American University, as well as at the University of California, Riverside.
From 2009 to 2017, she was a professor, researcher, and consultant at the Center for Cuban Economy Studies at the University of Havana. She holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Havana, an MBA from the same institution, and a master’s degree in Sustainable Development from the University of California, Berkeley.
Her work has focused on worker cooperatives, economic democracy, and social and solidarity economy. She is the author of four books and several articles on these topics.
In June 2022, the Cuban journalist residing in the United States Yosmany Mayeta Labrada confronted Piñeiro Harnecker when he attempted to discredit the protesters from 11J by presenting a version that positioned them as the aggressors and the Police as the victims.
Mayeta Labrada told the daughter of 'Barbarroja' that her work as an anti-embargo lobbyist benefits the Cuban regime and not the people, and she denied that the protester killed in La Güinera, Diubis Laurencio Tejeda, was attacking the Police, as she claimed.
According to independent media DDC -which reported that Piñeiro Harnecker resided in the United States- the daughter of the famous spy of the Cuban regime stated that the protester killed by sub-lieutenant Yoennis Pelegrín Hernández was attacking the agents "with a machete" to kill them and that the opposition was exaggerating the event.
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