Cuba: The Legacy of Raúl Castro and the Future of Caribbean Socialism

An era comes to an end: Raúl Castro – brother and successor of Fidel Castro, who died in 2016 – has announced he will step down as Cuban head of state in April 2018. While all signs point to the continuity of socialist one-party control, Cuba is facing a series of challenges that could complicate the transition to the next generation of political leaders. Among them are renewed hostilities with the United States under Trump, shortages in the gasoline supply traditionally provided by a now-collapsing Venezuela, anaemic economic growth, an ageing population, and a renewed reliance on Russia.

Can Cuba maintain its adherence to Caribbean-style socialism? How will US policy shape the prospects of the post-Castro era? What role could European countries play in supporting Cuban reforms? Moving beyond the often-too-superficial debates on Cuban difficulties, this GIGA Forum aims to provide deeper insights into the island’s recent developments and future prospects.

Panel: Ted Piccone, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and Inaugural Fellow of the Brook-ings–Robert Bosch Foundation Transatlantic Initiative Prof. Dr. Bert Hoffmann, Senior Research Fellow at the GIGA and Head of the GIGA Berlin Office

Moderation: Prof. Dr. Heike Holbig, Senior Research Fellow at the GIGA and Professor of Political Science with a Focus on Chinese/East Asian Area Studies at Goethe University Frankfurt