1. Castro Brothers Cuba
For 59 years from 1959 to 2018 Cuba was ruled with an iron hand by Fidel Castro for the first 49 years (1959-2008) and by Ral Castro for the last 10 years (2008-2018). Demographically the Castro brothers regime extended on two generations of Cubans.
Fidel governed Cuba for 47 years as prime minister (1959-1976) and president in office (1976-2008). On July 31 2006 due to medical reasons he transferred his presidential powers to his brother Ral. Fidel died at the age of 90 on November 25 2016 in Havana.
Ral was an acting president from July 31 2006 to February 24 2008 and in office from February 24 2008 to April 19 2018. On February 24 2013 Ral was re-elected President but shortly thereafter he announced that his second term would be his final term and that he would not seek re-election in 2018.
On December 21 2017 he announced on state television that he would step down as Cuban president on April 19 2018 after his successor was elected by the National Assembly following parliamentary elections.
However the 86-year-old Ral Castro retains his powerful position of First Secretary of the Communist Party Cubas ruling party and his seat representing Santiago de Cuba municipality in the National Assembly.
2. Post-Castro Cuba
On April 18 2018 Miguel Daz-Canel was selected as the only candidate to succeed Ral Castro as president.
He was confirmed by a vote of the National Assembly on April 19 2018 the day before his 58th birthday. Daz-Canel is a party technocrat little-known to the public born after the 1959 Cuban Revolution and not a member of the Castro family.
He was appointed Minister of Higher Education in May 2009 and on March 22 2012 he became Vice President of the Council of Ministers (deputy prime minister). In 2013 he additionally became First Vice President of Cuba acting as a deputy to the then-President Ral Castro.
Miguel Daz-Canel is expected to pursue the cautious path to reform of Rals economic policies while preserving the countrys social structure. Undoubtedly he will soon face a series of challenges.
3. Current Challenges
The first challenge is the Stalinist-style centrally planned economy of the last six decades that has turned Cuba into a third-world country still looking the way it did the 50s. The second challenge is the disenfranchised population especially the young generation who is demanding change. And last but not least the third challenge are President Trumps unorthodox methods of getting deals done on his own terms.
Cuba signaled a timid path to reform in 2014 when Ral Castro and former U.S. President Barack Obama reached an agreement to renew diplomatic ties and improve relations. This dtente led to an increase in U.S. visits and investment in Cuba a nation in suffering because of a many-decade-long imposed embargo.
However when President Trump assumed office in January 2017 he reversed course neutralizing most of Cubas advantages gained just for a short period of time. Trump put a stop to doing business with some Cuban state-run companies and tightened rules for U.S. visitors. The diplomatic incident related to the sonic attacks leading to mystery illnesses among U.S. diplomats in Havana also undermined trust.
Daz-Canel emphasized in his first speech as President the need to modernize the countrys economy and that the new period would be characterized by modernization of the economic and social model" without getting into many details.
If he wants to cut a deal with his powerful neighbor to the north Miguel Daz-Canel should make the next move now. He should look no farther than his brothers-in-ideology Chinas President Xi Jinping and North Koreas Little Rocket Man" Kim Jong-un.
NOTE - A version of the article appeared previously in AMERICAN THINKER.
Tiberiu Dianu has published several books and a host of articles in law politics and post-communist societies. He currently lives and works in Washington DC and can be followed on MEDIUM.
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1. Castro Brothers Cuba
For 59 years from 1959 to 2018 Cuba was ruled with an iron hand by Fidel Castro for the first 49 years (1959-2008) and by Ral Castro for the last 10 years (2008-2018). Demographically the Castro brothers regime extended on two generations of Cubans.
Fidel governed Cuba for 47 years as prime minister (1959-1976) and president in office (1976-2008). On July 31 2006 due to medical reasons he transferred his presidential powers to his brother Ral. Fidel died at the age of 90 on November 25 2016 in Havana.
Ral was an acting president from July 31 2006 to February 24 2008 and in office from February 24 2008 to April 19 2018. On February 24 2013 Ral was re-elected President but shortly thereafter he announced that his second term would be his final term and that he would not seek re-election in 2018.
On December 21 2017 he announced on state television that he would step down as Cuban president on April 19 2018 after his successor was elected by the National Assembly following parliamentary elections.
However the 86-year-old Ral Castro retains his powerful position of First Secretary of the Communist Party Cubas ruling party and his seat representing Santiago de Cuba municipality in the National Assembly.
2. Post-Castro Cuba
On April 18 2018 Miguel Daz-Canel was selected as the only candidate to succeed Ral Castro as president.
He was confirmed by a vote of the National Assembly on April 19 2018 the day before his 58th birthday. Daz-Canel is a party technocrat little-known to the public born after the 1959 Cuban Revolution and not a member of the Castro family.
He was appointed Minister of Higher Education in May 2009 and on March 22 2012 he became Vice President of the Council of Ministers (deputy prime minister). In 2013 he additionally became First Vice President of Cuba acting as a deputy to the then-President Ral Castro.
Miguel Daz-Canel is expected to pursue the cautious path to reform of Rals economic policies while preserving the countrys social structure. Undoubtedly he will soon face a series of challenges.
3. Current Challenges
The first challenge is the Stalinist-style centrally planned economy of the last six decades that has turned Cuba into a third-world country still looking the way it did the 50s. The second challenge is the disenfranchised population especially the young generation who is demanding change. And last but not least the third challenge are President Trumps unorthodox methods of getting deals done on his own terms.
Cuba signaled a timid path to reform in 2014 when Ral Castro and former U.S. President Barack Obama reached an agreement to renew diplomatic ties and improve relations. This dtente led to an increase in U.S. visits and investment in Cuba a nation in suffering because of a many-decade-long imposed embargo.
However when President Trump assumed office in January 2017 he reversed course neutralizing most of Cubas advantages gained just for a short period of time. Trump put a stop to doing business with some Cuban state-run companies and tightened rules for U.S. visitors. The diplomatic incident related to the sonic attacks leading to mystery illnesses among U.S. diplomats in Havana also undermined trust.
Daz-Canel emphasized in his first speech as President the need to modernize the countrys economy and that the new period would be characterized by modernization of the economic and social model" without getting into many details.
If he wants to cut a deal with his powerful neighbor to the north Miguel Daz-Canel should make the next move now. He should look no farther than his brothers-in-ideology Chinas President Xi Jinping and North Koreas Little Rocket Man" Kim Jong-un.
NOTE - A version of the article appeared previously in AMERICAN THINKER.
Tiberiu Dianu has published several books and a host of articles in law politics and post-communist societies. He currently lives and works in Washington DC and can be followed on MEDIUM.
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