What's Going on in Cuba?

On April 19th, 2018, Cuba’s National Assembly came together to elect the country’s new leader. And for the first time in nearly 6 decades, this new head of command isn’t a Castro.

Fidel Castro first came into power in 1959 after orchestrating a coup that ousted Cuba’s previous dictator. Soon after, he established the first communist nation in the western hemisphere. Cuba’s continued support of the Soviet Union raised eyebrows in the United States. Tensions between Cuba and the U.S. continued to grow, and they eventually broke off all diplomatic ties with the island nation as well as banned all trade and commercial activity between them. The country suffered domestically and internationally under Fidel’s  rule and many ended up fleeing the nation all together.

In 2006, Fidel Castro’s health began to decline and he handed over power to his brother Raúl, who had a softer stance on many of the policies put in place over the past decades. He also limited the amount of time government officials could serve and helped re-establish diplomatic relations with the U.S.

Recently, in light of Raúl’s term ending, Miguel Díaz-Canel was selected by Cuba’s legislative body. Little is known regarding how this election will affect the nation. Though he’s called himself a moderate in the past, who is susceptible to hearing the public out, a video was recently leaked of him criticizing the media. He has rejected the U.S.’s demands to change Cuba’s economic and political systems.