Change in Cuba Fidel at 90 to the Party Congress: “I will die soon” A move to Democracy or just more of the same?
Change in Cuba Fidel Alejandro Castro 1926-2016 Only Queen Elizabeth has ruled longer
“Fidelistas”
Fidel Castro The bane of 11 U.S. Presidents Came to power in January 1959 Stepped down due to intestinal cancer in 2006 & ceded power to brother Raul
Raul Castro Age 86, four years younger than Fidel Appointed temporary president 26 July 06 Elected president on 24 Feb 08 after Fidel announced he would not stand for election Only Defense Minister Cuba has ever had Was he a puppet for Fidel? He is Sancho Panza to Fidel’s Don Quixote
Fidel & Raul Castro 26th of July Movement/Moncada Barracks attack Exile in Mexico “Granma” Sierra Maestra Cuban Revolution Raul’s supervision of executions
Ernesto “Che” Guevara Iconic photo by Alberto Korda, one of the most widely published photos in history Charismatic Argentine doctor joined with Castro in Mexico through Raul’s introduction After the revolution he ran Fidel’s prisons Executed an estimated 1000-5000 political prisoners without trial in 59-60
Che Guevara Wrote numerous books on revolutionary theory Killed by CIA-supported Bolivian government forces while trying to lead a continent-wide Marxist revolution
90 Miles to Miami How many presidents tried to get rid of Fidel?
Bay of Pigs CIA support and training in Guatemala JFK humiliation Failure to provide air support
Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Foreign Policy: A Threat to the U.S.? Export of Revolution in Africa in the 70s and 80s Cuban troops in Angola and Ethiopia 1979 Sandinistas topple Somoza 1996 “Brothers” plane shot down by MiG 29 A model for Latin America? Chavez replaces USSR
Boat People 500,000 anti-Castro Cubans fled in 58-60 1966 LBJ and the Cuban Adjustment Act Mariel 1980 -180k Cubans flee to Florida/ Castro empties his prisons 1994 25,000 flee per month, US sends them to Guantanamo “Wet foot/Dry foot” policy
The Change 1985 Perestroika, Glasnost & New Thinking/Economy contracted by 1/3 1989 Attempted Coup of Gen. Ochoa 1991 The fall of the Soviet Union 90s Cuba replaces Thailand as the “Sex Tourism” destination of the World & Dollar legalized 1994 “Brothers to the Rescue” & Helms-Burton
U.S. Policy for the Future? 1999-2000 Elian Gonzalez 2003 New Crackdown on Democrary 2005 Luis Posada Carriles – 1976 bombing of Cuban airliner that killed 73 2007 Rangel Dorgan immigration bill & Delahunt immigration bill 2015 Opening of Diplomatic Relations
OBAMA to Cuba 2016 “The Cuban people should choose their government in free elections”
The New Cuba Life after Fidel 1.14M Cubans are in the US Mobile Phones ½M Cubans now work in private sector Dual currency economy