![]() ![]() Witness the fact that over the years the dictator has brutally truncated the careers (and sometimes the lives) of others who could have a reasonable hope of succeeding him or at least of challenging his unquestioned power, starting with Huber Matos and ending most recently with General Armando Ochoa. Although he has periodically talked about institutionalising his revolution, it remains a largely personal affair. On the island he has made almost all the important decisions for half a century. That Fidel Castro himself is a larger-than-life figure in Cuba, and to some extent the world, cannot be denied. Also, until quite recently it has depended almost wholly upon unsavoury arrangements with unscrupulous foreign investors. On the other, the pyramid of political power is more or less coherent with the generational hierarchy of the ruling family. On the one hand, the most important institution in the country is now not the Communist Party but the armed forces. In fact, however, the morbid fascination aroused by Fidel Castro’s illness underscores an inconvenient fact: in its later phases the Cuban regime has come to resemble to an embarrassing degree the patrimonial dictatorships which have often plagued small countries in the circum-Caribbean. If Cuba were –as it claims to be– a Communist state of a more or less “normal” kind, a health crisis on the part of its leader would not merit such intense media and political interest. The announcement a few days ago by the Cuban government that President Fidel Castro had undergone emergency surgery for internal bleeding and was therefore temporarily transferring power to his brother Raúl has suddenly raised a series of interesting questions about the future of the regime on the island and its relations with the outside world, particularly the United States. ![]() While the Cuban people are known to anticipate some sort of improvement after Fidel Castro has left the scene, their precise aspirations are vague and unknown, and no match for the efficiency and singlemindedness of the regime. The United States has its own plans for a Cuban transition which does not include either of the Castro brothers, but in reality dares not pursue its goals too vigorously for fear of a migration crisis. While Cuba continues to suffer from the loss of its Soviet sponsor, to some degree its place has been taken by Venezuela. While Raúl Castro lacks many of his brother’s formidable political qualities, he is not to be underestimated. Actually, however, the mechanisms of succession have been in place for some time both in terms of the formal system and the sociology of power. Summary: The announcement that Cuban President Fidel Castro has temporarily ceded power to his brother General Raúl Castro has raised all manner of speculation about Cuba’s future. Cuban-Americans in Miami celebrated his death, and Washington maintains a trade embargo that Castro long used as the reason for Cuba's economic troubles.Theme: This paper analyses Cuba’s prospects and possibilities, now that President Fidel Castro has temporarily ceded power to his brother General Raúl Castro. The impact of his long clash with the United States is still being felt. In recent years, Cuban doctors have been widely praised for their quick deployment in international health crises, including the Ebola outbreak and the aftermath of Haiti's 2010 earthquake.Įven after ceding power to his brother Raul, now 85, Fidel was a guiding light to leftists and anti-imperialists around world and a lightening rod for the barbs of his critics, who loathed him for confiscating private property, jailing opponents, and shutting down almost all dissent. ![]() He went on to align Cuba with the Soviet Union and sustained a near-permanent confrontation with the United States, sending both doctors and soldiers overseas to burnish Cuba's revolutionary character. He ruled for 49 years, longer than any contemporary except for Queen Elizabeth of England, after overthrowing a U.S.-backed dictator in 1959. It often indicates a user profile.Ĭastro with Nikita Khrushchev, who led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. ![]()
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