Raul Castro has officially been president of Cuba since February 25, 2008, when his brother Fidel Castro stepped down from the post for good. Just before retiring from his presidential post Fidel ensured his nation that “this is not my farewell” – and even today there is no doubt that Fidel’s influence remains significant, if not compulsory. That said, Raul Castro is making a lot of changes to the the way Cuba operates – we’re witnessing a slow departure from communism and the simultaneous introduction of capitalism into Cuba’s economy – quite similar to the situation in China.

Domestic Reforms.
Some recent changes include the legalization of cell phone usage throughout Cuba, increasing the amount of state land available to private farmers, and the allowance of some citizens to seek title for their homes. Perhaps one of the most impressive moves was today’s announcement that Cuba is abandoning the egalitarian ‘same wage for all’ scheme – now all workers will be entitled to compensation based on skill and performance – an essential component of free market capitalism.

Rejoining the International Community.
Domestic reforms are clear within the boundaries of the nation, but Cuba is also taking progressive steps towards improving its international image. Cuba doesn’t want to be the outlier anymore, it wants to make money, improve its economy, strengthen the morale of the Cuban people – and more importantly, they’re realizing that they have to play by the rules to achieve their goals. The European Union is exploring the possibility of providing aid to Cuba, specifically to fund reconstruction efforts in response to the $5 billion in damages caused by recent hurricanes. This is great PR for Cuba since the EU broke off dialogue and imposed sanctions on the nation for arresting dissidents in 2003.

Other recent ‘acts of diplomacy’ include yesterday’s meeting between the French senate and Cuba’s foreign minister, Perez Roque – and the proposal of a visit to Cuba put forth by the prime minister of Spain, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.

US-Cuba Relations ‘On The Rocks.’
US-Cuba relations are still just about non-existent, in fact, there is still a lot of animosity in the air. Just last week while George Bush spoke at a fundraiser in Florida he called Cuba a “dungeon” and insisted that “someday Cuba will be free.” The US continues to impose an economic embargo and last month Cuba rejected $5 million in hurricane-related aid from the US. Many US farmers believe the restrictions are hurting their businesses, and citizens of Cuba and US believe that the embargo is an important first step for healthy diplomatic relations. Public opinion polls demonstrate that Americans favor the re-establishment of diplomatic relations with Cuba. The argument is that the the US cannot support a government that violates human rights and embraces communism. The UN General Assembly has overwhelmingly called to an end to the embargo on Cuba — UN nations voted: 183 in favor and 4 against ending the embargo.

Latin American Solidarity & The Decline of US Influence.
As Cuba becomes increasingly involved in the international community and continues to be shunned by the US, it’s becoming clear that the US is facing increasing alienation throughout Latin America. Latin American countries are turning to one another for support (Venezuela provides 100,000 barrels of cheap oil to Cuba, and in return Cuba is loaning 20,000 medics to Venezuela) and US influence is decreasing at a fast pace. Bolivia is looking to increase diplomatic relations with Russia and Iran. “China’s trade with Latin America jumped from $10 billion in 2000 to $102.6 billion last year.” Brazil’s economy is booming.