socially aesthetic demand . Armando Soler ventures into the dysfunctional Cuban State apparatus by contrasting " Militarism versus civil society ." He explores the Cuban military from the colonial times to the present day in order to show that the subordination of the civilians to the military caused a devastating effect on society as a whole . It quashed the independence and rights of citizens , overstated the role of the armed forces , and reinforced their sense of superiority and preponderance , which leads to consider the rest of the population at their disposal . This population is braving difficult conditions , from the hardships of the mere survival , as described Rudicel Batista in his note on " Streets Fighters ," to the helplessness in the face of tragic events as the collapse of the house , which Marcia Cairo brings in an interview with the affected couple of “ Homeless Octogenarians .” And those times of hardship and tribulation encourage the reflection " On Spiritual Identity ", provided by Ivonne Lascaiba from the Christian perspective with emphasis in the belief that if we seek the Kingdom of God , all the things will be added . This issue of our magazine closes with the papers presented by Cuban activists at the panel " Cuba : representative democratization ," organized by the undersigned as President of the Platform for Cuban Integration during the XXXIV International Congress of the Latin American Studies Association ( LASA ). Fernando Palacio Mogar ( Solidarity Cuban Liberal Party ) shows in " Civil Society : A Key Factor for Democracy ," how the diversity of groups and opinions does not weaken , but enables the citizenship to find viable solutions to the problems of the country , starting with the daily hardship for bringing food to the table . As the lack of diversity in the ruling elite does not lead to the absence of conflict , the diversity of civil society does not lead to perpetual conflict either . On the contrary , the commitment to diversity implies that transparency and dialogue can definitely result in a kind of confidence among Cubans that prevails over the current secrecy and undermining confrontations generated by suspicion and fear . Palacio Mogar refers , as clear example of this confidence , the Project # Otro18 , which brings together more than twenty civil society groups in order to take the first steps in the exercise of deliberative democracy from the civic perspectives and within the legal framework . In this sense , the paper "# Otro18 and the Defense of Law ," by historian Boris Gonzalez Arenas , deals with the mobilization of the citizens towards political changes , following the declared intention of General Raul Castro to quit as Head of State and Government in 2018 . The campaign # Otro18 assumes that this window of opportunity is open to bring about changes toward a genuine democratic system , instead of the changes proposed by the Castroite nomenclature , which is determined to retain power . The campaign strategy is to deploy , before a maximal radical agenda of constitutional reform , a minimal agenda that starts from the existing legal order to show its deficits and the need for more substantial reforms . The key to success lies in achieving the active and massive participation of the citizens . Gonzalez Arenas masterfully summarizes the reason that encourages such a strategy : it is preferable to build a legal culture on the basis of a crumbling State than as a result of a social explosion . The leader of Project # Otro18 , Manuel Cuesta Morua , dedicates his paper to elaborate on this strategic proposal in two key directions : defining the general contents of the civic conversation on electoral system and laws of associations and political parties , and progressively building up alliances between political organizations , civil society and social actors .
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