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.

Cuba's retention on the terrorism list has received more attention in recent years
in light of increased support for legislative initiatives to lift some U.S. sanctions
under the current economic embargo

The Department of Economic and Social Affairs Statistics Division discusses small islands and small countires developing states with more influence on the world.

Council Senior Fellow Julia Sweig shatters the mythology surrounding the Cuban Revolution in a compelling revisionist history that reconsiders the roles of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara and restores, to a central position, the leadership of the Cuban urban underground, the Llano.

Having contained Cuban support for revolution in Latin America and perceiving signs of strong stirrings of a new civil society in Cuba, the United States should take steps to “contribute to rapid, peaceful, democratic transition in Cuba while safeguarding the vital interests of the United States.” This policy conclusion and a set of specific actions were recommended by an independent Task Force made up of both liberals and conservatives and chaired by Bernard W. Aronson and William D. Rogers.