CFR Senior Fellow Julia E. Sweig debunks the conventional wisdom on what is going to happen in Cuba after Fidel Castro dies. She also discusses the future of U.S.-Cuba relations.

U.S.-Cuban relations have been virtually nonexistent since 1961, when the United States assumed a two-pronged policy of economic embargo and diplomatic isolation. Now that Fidel has transferred power to his younger brother, Raul, some experts think the United States should reconsider its policy toward Cuba. Philip Peters of the Lexington Institute and Dennis Hays, the State Department's former Coordinator for Cuban Affairs, debate how the United States should engage with a post-Castro Cuba.

An open letter from Amnesty International to the President of the Republic of Haiti, calling on his government to address the failure of successive governments to accompany Haiti’s international obligations with effective action in protecting and promoting human rights.

This report is one of a series of briefings on the identity and background of the detainees held by the United States at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

After Fidel Castro transferred power to his younger brother, Raul, in early August, analysts have been watching Cuba closely and speculating about a post-Castro Cuba. But little has changed under Raul, and attention has shifted to the roles of Venezuela and the United States as both seek to influence Cuba’s future.

Brian Latell, who for many years was the CIA’s top Cuban and Latin American analyst, says if Fidel Castro is unable to recover from his ailments his successors are likely to be more willing to experiment with economic reforms. He also recommends the Bush administration establish formal contacts with the Cuban military.

The election of René Préval as Haiti’s president earlier this year raised hopes the region’s poorest country was finally ready to move toward social and economic stability. But chronic concerns about gang violence and the UN commitment to Haiti have resurfaced again.

CFR Senior Fellow Julia Sweig discusses the future of U.S.-Cuba relations in the light of Fidel Castro’s recent illness and handover of power to Raul Castro.

Julia E. Sweig, CFR senior fellow and author of Inside the Cuban Revolution, talks about Fidel Castro's decision to temporarily cede power and what it means for Cuba and its relations with the United States.

Fidel Castro's government says the Cuban leader has ceded power temporarily to his younger brother Raul to allow the revolutionary icon to recover from gastro-intestinal surgery. It marks the first time since 1959 power has been exercised by anyone but the "maximum leader," piquing the interest of analysts abroad.

With an aging Fidel Castro possibly preparing to step down soon, U.S. officials reaffirm a plan to spur democracy in Cuba. But the initiative stirs concern that attempts to disrupt the Cuban political transition could backfire on the United States.

With nearly all the votes counted, frontrunner and crowd favorite René Préval wins only 48 percent of the vote in Haiti, forcing a March runoff and prompting violent protests that left at least one dead.

Haitians cast ballots in a chaotic February 7 election, the first since Jean-Bertrand Aristide was ousted two years ago. But it will take more than the restoration of democracy to cure Haiti's ills.

Haitians choose a president and legislature on February 7 in long-delayed elections seen as crucial in lifting the country out of poverty. The vote takes place during a time of high unemployment and rampant violence but credible polls could lead to much-needed foreign investment.

Organizational Secretary to the Bolivarian Peoples' Congress Fernando Ramon Bossi gave this speech at the third Summit of the Peoples in Mar del Plata, Argentina, on November 3, 2005. He outlines ten things to know about ALBA (Alianza Bolivariana, or "Bolivarian Alliance of the Americas"), a organization for regional integration of socialist and social democractic countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.