He may not have died. But on a recent trip to Cuba, I was told by American and Cuban experts that he is more than retirement. His image may be everywhere, but he no longer has a living influence. Fidel ended up in Cuba like Mao Zedong to China.
His younger brother, Raul, is still alive, but he is 82 years old. He has called for term limits, including his own. He will not run for re-election as president in 2018.
After taking over from Fidel in 2007, Raul began introducing reforms. He had to do so.
Cuba is a country where nuclear physicists drive taxis because they can earn more than $40 a month in government salaries. Under Fidel’s rule, Cubans were unable to buy or sell cars or houses, so they arranged fake marriages. The properties could be transferred through divorce.
Today, everyone still owns their own apartment, but literally no one owns the apartment building. So there’s no one to fix the leaking roof.
Because there are no opportunities, young adults run abroad. Many people are willing to risk their lives on Styrofoam rafts to go to the United States.
Change is coming to Cuba. The big question is whether this will be slow or fast, peaceful or violent.
Over the past 54 years, when Fidel has had 11 U.S. presidents since he took power, the elderly who have led Cuba are survivors. They know how to cling to power. If there is a charismatic leader who may challenge the Castro brothers someday, he is sent to work in a sugar field. So, there is no Cowdillo to lead a second revolution. 슬롯머신
But the elderly should also control the disappointment and anger of the general public. They are rightly scared to see what happens to dictators during the “Arab Spring.”
On Jan. 14, 2013, the government began allowing most Cubans to leave the country without getting approval, paying $400 for a visa, or losing their right to go back. This could turn out to be the same as the fall of the Berlin Wall. Ordinary citizens who visit countries with more than four state-controlled television channels, let alone access to the Internet, will be more frustrated as soon as they return, with almost everything running short.