Fidel is gone. Raul is five years younger (age 85). He's going to die fairly soon himself, of old age. What happens to Cuba?

Cuba isn’t important in the Russian sphere. That ended with the Soviet Union.

At best they keep their education and health care institutions and grow the economy in a way that creates a strong middle class.

I don’t have high hopes though, it’s so poor a few people can buy up everything and make it an oligarchy like Russia and (to a lesser extent) the United States.

Everyone saying they want to leave the US now, why don’t they say they will move to Cuba? That might inject some political leadership into the place.

Such a lovely country. I hope that Raul has a succession plan set up so there won’t be too much abrupt disruption in the future. He seemed to be easing slightly away from old-school Communism. I hope that continues.

I hope that the end result will be more like Bermuda/Bahamas/Barbados than Haiti.

A roommate moved there about 30 years ago. Went to do a term of social work research, ended up working as a radio broadcaster. She’s cautiously optimistic.

My opinion is it’s almost impossible to guess.

I think that now that America is traveling there and will be opening business possibly that maybe there will be more prosperity and more opportunities for entrepreneurs. The big question is will the government eventually no longer have majority ownership of businesses. I heard that if a hotel opens down there, 51% of the profit goes to the Cuban government. Is that true?

I personally don’t feel inclined to spend my money there. It gives money to the communist regime. I’m all in favor of people being able to visit their families, but not of reinforcing the system of government. Go to Miami and see just how many Cubans are here. How many were floating over every year.

I do think that our policy of giving Cubans asylum if their toe touches American sand might change soon. Maybe it will wait for Raul’s overthrow or death. The problem is Florida is such a tight swing state, whoever gets rid of the policy loses votes for that party.

Cuba has done surprisingly well over the last twenty years after getting out from under Moscow’s hegemony. Their elementary education system and their health care are far superior to most of the United States.

We aren’t privy to the development of the next generation of Cuban leaders, but when Fidel transferred power to Raul, it was with the recognition that the next generation needed to be groomed.

The rest of the world has had open trade with Cuba for years. As long as the Cuban people don’t forget the lessons of the 1950’s Bautista regime and US Corporate intervention, they’ll be fine.

I’ll be going there next month. Will see what I learn.

Due to the question of monies involved, or potentially involved, Cuba goes back to the way it was before the revolution.

They might join the USA as a protectorate or another state.

^^I don’t think I’ve heard that before.

@RedDeerGuy1 Why the hell would they want to do that? Join the US so they can become another exploited island with second class citizenship?

Maybe they’ll manage to close the Guitmo military base? That place is totally illegal.

@zenvelo Just wondering.

@olivier5 They won’t close the base. It can bring too much money into the local economy.

@olivier5 – Gitmo may be unwise, but is absolutely legal as a military base, under the terms of the lease agreement signed with Cuba.

The prison camp is probably illegal, but the prison camp is just a smaller section of the base.

@elbanditoroso Gitmo is illegal because it was imposed by force on Cuba a century ago, and keeps being imposed by force. Cuba has asked many time for its dismantelment and last time i checked, they are a sovereign country. The treaties also ban any other use of the base than refueling and ship repair, so even if one treats them as a legal basis, Gitmo in its present configuration is illegal because it includes many more activities including the detention facility.

@kritiper In terms of local economic benefits, according to wikipedia, the US leases the 45 square miles (120 km2) of land and water for a wooping $4,085 per year. It imports from the US every single item it needs: all the food, material etc. None of this is bought from Cuba.

In terms of local economic benefits

@kritiper wrote “can bring”, meaning if the base were not walled off.

I was going to dispute the claim too, but re-read and saw the reference was to possible future trade.

^^ Yes, there could be an evolution of these benefits but in practice, US bases abroad tend to import everything from the US, even toilet paper. That was certainly the case in Kabul a few years back. You’d think they could have tried to support the local market by buying a few local produces. Afghan agriculture is rich and diverse. But no – security considerations meant zero local purchase.

That was certainly the case in Kabul a few years back.

Afghanistan is a war zone. That isn’t a valid comparison.

I bet the system is the same everywhere.

Wonder how and if my trip will be affected with all the upheaval. Guess I’d better take out that travel insurance.

A friend who is a musician is in Cuba on tour. He posted yesterday that the national mourning period of nine days means no music and no alcohol being served. Many tourists, including Americans, are wandering around with little entertainment as the country is in collective grief.

@zenvelo Wow – but not surprising. I’m not going until January so the mourning period should be over.

Why 9 days?

@JLeslie Nine days is a Novena.

@janbb This is the first time in my life I have ever thought, “Yes, the travel insurance is a good idea.”

@Tropical_Willie Thanks for the link. So, it has religious connotations? Isn’t Castro supposed to be an atheist? I know the Pope went to Cuba, but I thought supposedly the country is supposed to be atheist under communism.

I don’t know why they are use nine days; just that Cuba is still considered a Roman Catholic country. Communism in Cuba does not exclude Catholicism.

@Call_Me_Jay Yes – I never get it either and hadn’t been planning to but….