The infamous President Fidel Castro of Cuba has announced today, February 19, 2008 that he will relinquish his position after serving almost half a century in Cuba. Castro has been undergoing surgery for an intestinal complication and entitled his younger brother, Raul Castro, to his governing duties, which may or may not be Cuba’s successor. There has been much speculation to which the leadership may pass to seem to point toward Vice President Carlos Lage, “a 56-year-old physician by training who was architect of the modest reforms adopted in the early 1990s.” Lage seems to appeal to the Cubans that prefer for more economic opportunity, which is the largest majority. There has been talk of Fidel’s successor aimed at the Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque who “served as Castro's chief of staff for years and is believed to adhere to his mentor's harder line against economic liberalization.” But ever since
Castro fell ill, Lage, seems to be of majority popularity. Castro of eighty-one years old has been through rough roads with the United States from the Invasion at the Bay of Pigs or the Cuban Missile Crisis. It is not certain to whom his successor shall become but it is certain that his reign is fading.
The fate of Cuba will ultimately in the end, have its effects trickling off into the United States due to its proximity to the U.S. President Bush has already stated that Cuba was “entering a period of transition and it should be the beginning of a democratic transition in Cuba.” President Bush’s statement is obviously showing that America still remains headstrong about democratizing Cuba. What ties all of this together in its relation to U.S. Government is that Bush has his prospects about Cuba’s future but depending on who shall become the next president could totally affect the U.S. Economy. If Felipe Perez Roque, the advocate of anti-economic liberalization becomes the new president, will Bush believe that Cuba needs to be “saved” and intervene with foreign affairs? Again… and continue to use more funds to pay for the “freedom of the people of Cuba?” or perhaps the prominent Lage will succeed Castro and help push Cuba towards an economic democracy with America. Speculation will continue to whether Cuba may remain communist or begin its “transition” into democracy. It is for certain however, President Bush intends to keep an eye out for the changing country waiting for the opportunity to “stick his foot in the door.” Hopefully, President Bush will keep out of Cuba’s affairs and focus on his own nation which has a few entailed problems of its own. (i.e. deepening federal deficit, border issues, imminent recession, and more).
446 words
2 references
-link #1 LA Times "Post-Castro Cuba needs to be democratic, Bush says"
-link #2 LA Times "Castro hints at a younger face for Cuba"
