Half of a century ago, a young revolutionary by the name of Fidel Castro established himself as the premier figure in Cuba. He and his guerillas, which included his brother Raul Castro and iconic revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara, successfully overthrew the American backed Batista regime. Castro's Revolution changed the dynamics of the Cold War in a profound way. No longer did the United States have an ocean between its cities and those of their enemies. The United States all of the sudden had a powder keg less than 100 miles from its shores. Moreover, on several instances, it looked as if the fuse had been lit and the two nations would be at war.

It is well known that the two moments with greatest tension occurred during the Kennedy Administration.  First, while President Eisenhower had previously set the Bay of Pigs fiasco in motion, Kennedy issued the order for the invasion. Then roughly a year and a half later, the world watched and waited for thirteen days as the Soviet Union and United States faced off during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Both of these incidents have left residual effects to this day.

The Bay of Pigs invasion established what would eventually become a drawn out rhetorical and ideological battle between the United States and Cuba. As a result of the failed invasion, Castro became convinced that the United States would continue to assert what he saw as its imperialism under the guise of democracy and famed Monroe Doctrine. His fear of another attempted invasion prompted Cuba's agreement to allow Soviet inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) to be placed on the island.

Perhaps the moment of greatest tension during the sixty years of the Cold War came as a result of the stand-off over the ICBMs located in Cuba. While under intense pressure by military advisors to invade Cuba, President Kennedy decided to take another route. He announced that the United States would blockade Cuba in order to prevent any further arms from reaching the island.

Without a doubt, both incidents have led to very tense forty-five period between these two geographically close nations. Further, it seemed as long as Fidel remained the leader of Cuba, both he and any President of the United States would continue its seemingly petulant actions towards one another. However, on February 19, 2008, Fidel finally stepped down from power. While some speculation occurred as to who would be selected as the next leader in nearly fifty years, the realistic choice was Fidel's younger brother, Raul.

Raul had run Cuba as interim leader for nearly a year and a half. As a result of health problems, Fidel "temporarily" gave his brother the reigns of the nation during the summer of 2006. Fidel would never effectively return as the active ruler of the communist nation. Then after a year and a half of running the nation, Raul Castro received the role as the new official leader of Cuba.

A debate certainly has occurred over the years about what type of leader Raul would be if he would actually become his brother's successor.  The various speculations have only intensified since 2006, coming to an apex after his official nomination.  Reporters, columnists, and pundits alike have engaged in this discussion. Would Raul in fact rule Cuba with the iron fist from the days of his aggressive youth? Or, would Raul play a more pragmatic and intelligent role for the greater good of Cuba's future?

In his critically acclaimed book titled After Fidel: The Inside Story of Castro's Regime and Cuba's Next Leader, Brian Latell takes a deep analytic approach to answer the questions regarding Raul. Throughout the book, Latell discusses both possible types of leadership possibilities. He seems to acquiesce to the notion that Raul will try to be more accommodating to Cubans both domestically and the disaffected abroad as well as improve its relations with the United States. Yet, Latell ultimately states that only time will tell what sort of leadership Raul will choose to lead his nation.

In the end, no person will really be able to accurately assess which position Raul will take. While no drastic steps have been taken in either direction during the following days of his recent succession, only time will tell the direction Raul will choose to take the island nation.

 
Reference Material

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/cuba_castro_dc

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view/20080221-120247/Raul-Castro-Cubas-number-two-could-lead-toward-reform

Latell, Brian. After Fidel: The Inside Story of Castro's Regime and Cuba's Next Leader. NewYork: Palgrave Macmillan, 2002.

See also the upcoming book by Howard Jones, "The Bay of Pigs." Author of "Death of a Generation," Jones is University Research PProfessor of History at the University of Alabama. Coming August 2008 from Oxford University Press.

A 2004 graduate from Grove City High School Pennsylvania, Danielle Wimer, is a second semester senior at Slippery Rock University. She is a History major, but with interests the arts and music, she has minors in Philosophy and Art History. Danielle actively participates in Phi Alpha Theta History Honorary Society at Slippery Rock University. Phi Alpha Theta History Honorary Society is a professional society whose mission is to promote the study of history through the encouragement of research, good teaching, publication and the exchange of learning and ideas among historians. They seek to bring students, teachers and writers of history together for intellectual and social exchanges, which promote and assist historical research and publication by our members in a variety of ways.

Danielle is especially interested in various conspiracy theories and assassinations in American History, particularly JFK, RFK, and John Lennon. While her interest in history is mainly focused on 20th Century United States events, she enjoys studying Central and South American history as well.

After graduation, Danielle hopes to further her education by attending graduate school and eventually teaching on a doctorate level.

Dean O'Brokta graduated from Slippery Rock University in May 2007. While he attended SRU, he maintained a very active role within the History Department. He served as Treasurer, Vice-President, and President during five semesters for Slippery Rock's chapter of the national history honor society, Phi Alpha Theta. During his tenure as an officer, he was also a two-time recipient of the Phi Alpha Theta Order of Merit. He has also published two articles in the department's annual publication, "Stone House Review."

His first paper to receive such honors was "Cover-Ups and Conspiracy: The Plot to Assassinate President Kennedy." In 2006, Dean presented this paper as a part of a panel at a regional conference for undergraduate history students. His second publication was "Analysis of Che Guevara: A Fall-Out with the Castros and His Role in the Bolivian Revolution;" for this paper, he also received The Kelly Prize for best undergraduate paper.

During his four years at Slippery Rock, he also worked as a tour guide and veteran staff member at the history department's historical site, the Old Stone House. Since his graduation, Dean has started working as a career level intern for the Veterans Benefits Administration under the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Leslie Mead is a senior at Slippery Rock University where she will be pursuing a Physical Therapy degree this fall. Leslie, 29, lives with her husband, Chad, and their dog, Duke. She enjoys history because she likes hearing about the past and studying the events of many years ago. Leslie states that learning about history reinforces for her in a personal way how the world is always changing and makes her more appreciative of her life knowing it is finite.

Holly Evanoski

Holly Evanoski is from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Currently a senior at Slippery Rock University, Holly will be graduating in May 2008 with a BA in History. After graduation, she would like to pursue employment with the National Archives while continuing her education. Holly regularly attends Phi Alpha Theta History Honorary meetings and loves being involved with the organization. She is also a member of the German Club and works for Residence Life, whose mission is to supports andencourages every student to be a responsible global citizen, become a life long learner, and to develop on a personal level.

 Holly's favorite area of study is Ancient Egypt and it is her goal to one day visit the Pyramids of Giza. Holly also to takes dance lessons, promotes reputable charity organizations via the internet, and debates politics.

Neil Schaffer