Cuba

The caribbean island Cuba is not only famous as a fantastic tourist destination but also for its communist leader Fidel Castro who has been in power since 1960. As beautiful as the country’s landscape, its vegetation and its fauna are, Cuba’s people have been suffering from economic backwardness for years. The planned economy which is completely state-owned and suppresses private entrepreneurship has not been able to deliver its people enough goods and services. Although there is officially almost no unemployment, most Cubans are quite poor. While Cuba relied heavily on goods and support from the Soviet Union in the past, it now depends on oil from Venezuela in exchange for well qualified labor in the medical and engineering sector.

First changes

In 2006 Fidel Castro’s brother Raul assumed power temporarily and showed some signs of willingness to reform the country. After Cuba’s economy took another hit during the financial meltdown in 2007-2009 Raul Castro decided to ease the state’s control over the economy and allow Cubans more scope in public life and small business. Furthermore he allowed the import and use of computers and mobile phones which however are still unaffordable to most ordinary people. His most closely watched decision was the release of 52 political prisoners which had been victims of government raids against the opposition in early 2001. The final discharge of the prisoners was mediated by the Catholic church which has been a place of refuge for members of the oppostion.

Possibilites for the future

Cuba’s future will not only depend on the leadership’s vision and willingness to reform the country but also on the EU’s and the USA’s readiness to revoke its trade embargo. US president Barack Obama has showed some signs of willingness to make advances towards Cuba’s leadership but he faces strong headwind from exile Cubans which are heavily represented in the state of Florida. However opinion polls show that the Cuban community in the US is more and more open to ease sanctions on their home country as long as Cuba’s leadership shows the willingness to respect human rights and losens their grip on the opposition and the economy. Still the Castro brothers make little attempts to embrace democracy or the free market.