A new day for Cuba? The death of Fidel Castro raises big questions about Cuba's future--and its relations with the U.S.

AuthorZissou, Rebecca
PositionINTERNATIONAL

When Fidel Castro died at age 90 in November, many Cubans were devastated. Huge crowds gathered in the capital, Havana, to pay their respects to the country's former leader, who had ruled the island nation for nearly 50 years. Just a couple of hundred miles away in Miami, Florida, the reaction was very different. Thousands of Cuban-Americans--many of whom had fled Cuba to escape Castro and Communist rule--took to the streets in celebration, waving Cuban flags and cheering. To them, Fidel was a brutal dictator who stole their families' land and businesses, jailed political opponents, and wrecked Cuba's economy.

"Him dying represents the end of something awful that happened to us," says Isabel De Lara. She was 12 years old in 1961 when her parents sent her to the United States, fearful of what was to come after Castro's takeover of Cuba. "It's because of him that we lost our opportunity to have a life in our country." Although Fidel was no longer Cuba's leader--he officially transferred power to his younger brother, Raul, in 2008--he remained a force behind the scenes. Many hope that his influence will fade and that a new era will begin in Cuba.

Historic Changes

Indeed, Fidel's passing comes at a time of historic change for Cuba. In 2015, the U.S. and Cuba formally re-established diplomatic relations after more than 50 years of hostility. Since then, President Barack Obama and President Raul Castro have taken steps to improve relations. They've reopened embassies in each other's capitals, exchanged prisoners, and relaxed some trade and travel restrictions.

But whether the U.S.-Cuba thaw will continue is uncertain. Donald Trump, who is set to become president on January 20, has pledged to undo many of Obama's policy changes. He says the oppressive Castro regime doesn't deserve to have closer ties with the U.S. until Cuba's government allows Cubans to have greater freedoms.

It's also unclear whether Raul--who spent much of his life in Fidel's shadow--will steer Cuba in a different direction. His brother's death may give Raul the freedom to pursue further economic and political reforms. But many Cuban-Americans, including Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, don't expect change anytime soon.

"Sadly, Fidel Castro's death does not mean freedom for the Cuban people or justice for the democratic activists, religious leaders, and political opponents he and his brother have jailed and persecuted," says Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants. "The dictator has died, but the dictatorship has not."

Still, the next few years are sure to be a time of transition. Raul, now 85, has said he'll step down from the presidency in 2018. His vice president, Miguel Mario Dfaz-Canel Bermudez, is expected to take over. But how, or if, a new leader will change things remains to be seen.

Cuba Under the Castros

The complicated relationship between the U.S. and Cuba goes back to the Cuban Revolution in 1959, when Fidel Castro and his band of guerrillas overthrew the U.S.-backed dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista (see Key Dates, below). At the time, Fidel, who had trained as a lawyer before taking up arms, was hailed as a liberator and a champion of the working class. Many Cubans who grew up during the revolution still see him as a hero.

At the height of the Cold War between the U.S. and the Communist powers, Castro aligned Cuba with the Soviet Union, embracing its repressive political system, state-run economic model, and hostility toward the U.S. He also nationalized, without compensation, American businesses in Cuba. In response, Washington cut all diplomatic ties and imposed a trade embargo that largely remains in effect nearly 60 years later.

Soviet aid kept Cuba's economy afloat until the early 1990s. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Cuba went into economic free fall. More recently, economic troubles in Venezuela--Cuba's closest ally--have forced that country to cut aid to Cuba.

Today, shortages of food and other essentials are common. Although education and healthcare are free, most Cubans struggle to get by on government salaries that average about $20 a month. They often depend on money sent by relatives living overseas, most in the U.S. Many things that Americans take for granted, including air-conditioning, microwaves, and internet access, are luxuries in Cuba. Unable to afford new cars, many Cubans drive old American models from the 1950s (see photo, p. 12). And anyone who speaks out against the government can be harassed, beaten, or arrested.

Fed up with the lack of freedom and economic opportunities, thousands of Cubans risk their lives every year to escape to the U.S. Many come in rickety boats made from old car parts, inner tubes, or Styrofoam. Hundreds of Cubans have died attempting the dangerous 90-mile journey.

But in the past few years, there have been glimmers of hope. When Raul took over from his brother in 2008...

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