CNN Moderator: During the Cold War, Cuba supported like-minded regimes and groups around Latin America -- what the United States called "exporting revolution." How does Cuba see its role in the region today?

Lucia Newman: Today, Cuba sees its role as very different. President Fidel Castro has said under the new circumstances, where there is only one superpower in the world, armed revolution as a way to bring about social change is no longer viable. Cuba no longer has the backing of the Soviet Union. It can no longer afford to finance insurgency movements in the region. And while it is clear that there is still tremendous empathy for socialism and any movement that wants to bring about social change in the region, Cuba can only give political support, not material support. Cuba is now in fact actively trying to barter peace negotiations between Colombian leftist guerrillas and the Colombian government. In other words, Cuba still yields tremendous influence among leftist groups but wants to channel that influence in a more peaceful way.

Chat Participant: How has Havana changed since the Cold War ended?

Lucia Newman: If you mean the city Havana, it probably is more rundown now than it was when the Soviet Union was subsidizing the Cuban economy. As it is well known, Cuba has undergone an acute economic crisis since the early 1990s. But if you mean how has the system changed or the country changed, it has undergone many changes. It has been forced to open up to foreign tourism; to open up its government-controlled economy, at least partially, to overseas investment; and in general, the invasion of people from the capitalist world by way of tourism and foreign investors has meant that this country, which had been so isolated for so long, has been receiving the influence of capitalism even if it is still far from a capitalist country. The influence is most noticeable in the people, not in the government. Many of the so-called vices of capitalism which the Cuban revolution was fought to eradicate are now back, such as prostitution, crime and even consumption of drugs -- which, while less prevalent than in other countries in the region, is beginning to become more common.

Chat Participant: How are you going to do your job with the new law on information in Cuba?

Lucia Newman: The new law is not directed at the foreign press, but rather at the opposition journalists in Cuba. It very specifically targets a small but active group of dissident journalists, who sent out their reports on the Internet or on Radio Marti -- the U.S. government-financed radio station, which aims to help contribute to the downfall of communism in Cuba. These journalists, their activities were never legal here, but to a certain extent they were tolerated. Now with the new law, specific and extremely stiff prison sentences have been spelled out in the penal code making their activities highly illegal and dangerous for them to carry out. As for the foreign press, technically we could be subjected to prison if ... we were seen to be "cooperating and collaborating with the U.S. government policy to annihilate the Cuban revolution." But in reality, this law is not really aimed at us.

CNN Moderator: What was your experience in the 1973 coup in Chile?

Lucia Newman: I was a student at the time at the University of Chile. It was very frightening and very violent. Many of my fellow students and friends were killed by the military arbitrarily. Scores of other people were forced to go into exile. And although I was not a journalist at the time, I remember very well that there was intense censorship and repression against anyone whose ideas were seen as being vaguely "pink," not to mention "red" -- as in communist.

CNN Moderator: You've reported from throughout Central and South America. How is the United States generally thought of? Has that changed since the end of the Cold War?

Lucia Newman: The perception has changed somewhat. But there is still a strong feeling amongst many Latin Americans that the U.S. does not understand the region and generally always backs the wrong horse. As you could see in the COLD WAR program that aired tonight, the U.S. backed Pinochet in Chile, the military in El Salvador, and the contras in Nicaragua and generally was more frightened of a perceived communist threat than of dealing with the causes that brought about the upsurge of left-wing movements in the region. Now that threat of communism is gone, many Latin Americans say that they feel that the U.S. continues to have an arrogant attitude and see the region as its backyard. But at the same time, there is a keen awareness that the U.S. is the most important trading partner in the region, in the hemisphere, the only superpower, and that left-wing rhetoric will get Latin Americans nowhere. So there is a far more intense effort now to cooperate with the U.S. and to engage in a partnership. Hence we see the keen interest in the region in forming a regional free trade zone from Alaska to Patagonia. The U.S. has repeatedly, President Clinton has repeatedly expressed his commitment in this, but so far, with the exception of Mexico, it has not happened.

CNN Moderator: Castro's government has outlasted 10 U.S. presidents, all of whom predicted that it would fall soon. Is there a clear successor to Castro?

Lucia Newman: Well, the Cuban constitution says that the successor in case of President Castro's death would be the first vice president, who happens to be the defense minister and President Castro's brother, Raul. Whether or not he will be the successor for long is an open question, since he is only five years younger than his brother. There is tremendous speculation over the alternatives. Some believe the whole system would just fall apart with the death of Castro, others say that it will simply change.

CNN Moderator: You reported from Managua, Nicaragua, during the civil war there -- tell us a little bit about what that was like.

Lucia Newman: It was a very intense period of the Cold War. I think the world slowly saw the dreams and aspirations of the Nicaraguan people disintegrate as the contra war intensified and the Sandinista regime became more radicalized in direct proportion to the amount of pressure it received from the United States. It was sad to see this happen. I think that the Nicaraguan situation was not well understood abroad. But unquestionably, there was tremendous disenchantment among the Nicaraguan people. Perhaps the saddest part of all were the antagonisms among different sectors of Nicaraguan society. And the poverty that brought about the Sandinistas rise to power in the first place still exists, even though the country is now living under democracy.

Chat Participant: Lucia, what is the attitude of the Cuban people -- is Castro strongly popular among them or are they ready for change, or are they simply ambivalent?

Lucia Newman: I don't think Cubans are ambivalent. I think everyone wants a change, they just don't all want the same change. It's fair to say that almost everyone wants to see an improvement in their lot in the economy. Some say that it's time for Fidel Castro to hang up his uniform and open the way for others to rule -- but within an improved but still socialist system. Others of course would like to see a complete change. But curiously, even people who are very much opposed to the communist system that the country has now say they are frightened of too much change too fast. They see with horror what happened in the former Soviet Union and the ex-socialist countries. They don't want violence, they don't want chaos. They'd like more freedom to decide their own lives, the way they can make their living, and freedom to express themselves. But they aren't sure just how this can be done in a peaceful and orderly fashion.

Chat Participant: Did your experience in Chile influence you to become a journalist?

Lucia Newman: I was studying journalism at the University of Chile and it was always my intention to be a journalist.

Chat Participant: Can you move around freely? I mean can you travel around and talk to the Cubans without the government interfering in what you are doing?

Lucia Newman: Yes I can. Unlike the opposition media, the foreign media has far greater leeway. We are not easily granted access to high-level sources on a regular basis. But there are no restrictions on access to the Cuban people, to the population at large, nor are there restrictions with regard to our movement around the country.

Chat Participant: Why were you expelled from Panama?

Lucia Newman: Oh, that's a long story. But in a nutshell, it was a highly politicized, intense period of Panamanian history where the government of Gen. Manuel Noriega had shut down all opposition news media. Nevertheless many Panamanians, who speak English, had access to CNN and my reports could be seen all over the country. The government could not censor or control them. The last straw came when we covered a demonstration in which pro-government militia attacked a peaceful opposition demonstration and killed several people. This was seen all over the world on CNN. Shortly afterwards, I was expelled, accused of being a disinformer.

Chat Participant: How has the pope's visit affected the Protestant and Catholic churches since his visit?

Lucia Newman: It hasn't affected the Protestant churches specifically, but it has generally created a freer climate for religious expression of all kinds. The Catholic Church in particular still feels that it is subjected to far too many restrictions and controls but agrees at least that very small but significant progress has been made by virtue of the pope's visit, at least as far as tolerance by the state is concerned. The church still has very limited access to the news media, private religious schools are still forbidden, and there are strict limitations put on the number of priests that can come to Cuba to spread the word.

Chat Participant: Can Cubans watch CNN?

Lucia Newman: Generally speaking, no. Cubans are not allowed to have cable television, DSS antennas or UHF antennas. But because Cuba is so close to Florida, people who live near the ocean and have clandestine antennas can often pick up the signal of the Miami stations that carry CNN. Apart from that, Cuban television does air a news segment every night that carries some reports from CNN, but not the ones that are filed out of our bureau in Havana. The stories are about every place but Cuba. With very rare exceptions, there has been a time or two that they've aired a story of mine.

CNN Moderator: Do most Cubans anticipate a normalization of relations with the United States? How much do they blame the U.S. trade embargo for Cuba's economic crisis?

Lucia Newman: Many Cubans have been waiting for normalization of relations for decades. I think it's fair to say they've kind of learned not to get their hopes up for any quick change. They blame the U.S. to a certain extent for many of their problems. But unlike the Cuban government, they do not blame Washington for all of their ills. Some believe in fact that the U.S. economic embargo is probably the strongest weapon that keeps the Cuban government in power because it provides an expedient justification for many of ... not only of the problems, but also of the controls and lack of freedoms that the country undergoes.

CNN Moderator: You reported from Chile during the Pinochet years. Was there a lot of dissent against the Pinochet regime, and did many Chileans blame the United States for putting him in power?

Lucia Newman: Yes, there was a lot of dissent against the regime. Many people did blame the U.S. for having put him in power, or at least for having not done more to get him out of power. But generally, the efforts of the opposition were more centered on pressuring the government into holding a plebiscite, which ultimately led to Gen. Pinochet's demise. The U.S. by that time also was helping to put pressure on the military government to hand over power to a democratic system and to hand over power to a democracy.

Chat Participant: Lucia, how much power does the Chilean military still hold?

Lucia Newman: It's still a very powerful institution. It is still autonomous in many ways. And not subject to the controls of the civilian government that exist in almost every other democracy in the world. As long as Gen. Pinochet is still alive, even if he is now under house arrest in London, there is still a certain fear that there could be a military backlash against the civilian government. But that is lessening day by day. And indeed, the attitude of the armed forces during this whole Pinochet crisis would seem to indicate that the military could well be returning to its traditional role as a non-belligerent force. But this will take time. In other words, the hope is that the armed forces will return to its traditional role as a professional army and not a political one.

Chat Participant: Has your presence, and CNN's presence, in Havana made a measurable difference in the relationship between the Castro regime and the outside world?

Lucia Newman: No. Hopefully the presence of the foreign media has contributed to greater understanding vis-ˆ-vis international opinion about Cuba. It is said that the more information one has, the better knowledge and more informed an opinion one can have about any one given situation. But I don't think that CNN's presence here has been a catalyst for major changes, nor is that really our role.

Chat Participant: Is crime a problem on the Havana streets? Is tourism in danger?

Lucia Newman: Crime is on the rise. The government is extremely worried. The streets of Havana are certainly far safer than many other countries in the region, but if crime continues to rise, yes, it could frighten off tourism.

Chat Participant: How is your lifestyle in Cuba? Do you suffer any inconveniences because of the embargo -- compared to your other assignments?

Lucia Newman: Yes, it is very difficult for me to get a lot of things here. Partly because of the U.S. embargo, which makes it very expensive to bring in things from countries other than the U.S., but also because of the general crisis in the Cuban economy. There are times when you just can't get the simplest things here. There just aren't any. You have to wait for the next boat. For example, earlier this month, you couldn't get milk anywhere for weeks. Getting the sort of medicine you want can also be difficult. You have to send away for it from overseas. So yes, it is inconvenient at times.