Number: RL33622
Title: Cuba after Fidel Castro: U.S. Policy Implications and Approaches
Authors: Mark P. Sullivan, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division 
Abstract: At this juncture, there is sparse information coming out of Cuba about Fidel Castro's medical condition and whether he will be able to resume his role as head of the political system and the Communist Party. On August 13, 2006, Fidel's 80th birthday, Cuba's newspaper Juventud Rebelde published the first photographs of Castro since his surgery, along with a message from Castro indicating that his recovery would not be short. Castro promised to fight for his health, and urged his supporters to be optimistic, but cautioned that they should "be prepared for any adverse news." Some observers had been questioning why Raúl Castro had not been seen in public, although his public role in greeting visiting Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez on August 13, 2006, has appeared to put these questions to rest.
Pages: 20
Date: September 2, 2006