• Listen to this segment

GUEST: Saul Landau, fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, film maker and frequent writer on Cuba. His most recent piece about Fidel Castro is titled “History Absolved Him. Now What?”

This past Monday, after undergoing intestinal surgery, Cuban President Fidel Castro temporarily handed power over to his brother, Raul Castro. This is the first time since the triumph of the Cuban revolution in January 1959 that Fidel Castro has ceded power. Raul Castro, Cuba’s Defense Minister, has not made any public pronouncements or appearances since assuming interim presidential duties. Upon hearing news of Fidel Castro’s surgery, Cuban exiles in Miami took to the streets of Little Havana in jubilation with some believing that Castro was dead. In Cuba, the leader of the Cuban National Assembly Ricardo Alarcon called the Miami celebrations, “vomit-provoking acts.” Alarcon, who had spoken with Fidel Castro on Monday and Tuesday of this past week, states that he is “very alive and very alert.” Fidel Castro, whose 80th birthday is on August 13th of this year, has asked for his birthday celebrations to be postponed until December 2nd, the 50th anniversary of Cuba’s Revolutionary Armed Forces. This week’s past events have lead many commentators to speculate on the future of a post-Castro Cuba.

Read Saul Landau’s article, “History Absolved Him. Now What?”