Imagine my surprise as I opened Granma’s webpage early on Feb. 19. The headline article, written by El Jefe himself, announced the resignation of the longest serving leader in the Western Hemisphere. After 49 years of antagonizing U.S. presidents, tormenting expatriates in Florida and delivering fiery speeches ad nauseam to millions of his adoring compatriots, Fidel Castro is finally stepping down, voluntarily abandoning the post that many thought he would leave only in death. What will Castro do in his remaining years? He has indicated that he will continue to be the principle voice of the revolution, writing and speaking the ideals of communist egalitarianism as he has done since assuming power. But as he steps down from his pedestal, two questions linger: What will Castro’s legacy be? And without the reins of power, will he be able to determine that legacy?
Castro’s record over the past half century is mixed. As a revolutionary, he fought alongside radicals, such as Che Guevara, to overthrow the brutal, U.S.-supported regime of Gen. Fulgencio Batista. Their 26th of July movement quickly toppled the dictator and promised to restore democracy to the island. Instead, one-party-rule emerged, with Castro as the unquestioned leader of the Cuban Communist Party. He gained additional legitimacy by surviving the Bay of Pigs invasion, emerging unscathed as the credibility and stature of the United States was diminished.
Castro later used his military prowess in the proxy fights of the Cold War. In Angola, Castro’s forces, allied with Angolan Marxists, handily routed U.S.-supported UNITA, providing a stunning blow to the great superpower of the west. In Nicaragua, Castro’s military and tactical aid enabled the insurgent Sandinistas to bring down the corrupt Somoza dynasty. The Iran-Contra Affair was devised to overturn this result. This scandal eventually undermined the integrity of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush even as Castro’s star continued to rise on the international horizon.
Castro’s regime even survived the breakdown of the Soviet empire. Without the subsidies provided by his masters in Moscow, Castro was forced to implement austerity measures. By relaxing trade barriers and searching for new friends in Europe, Castro was able to help his people weather the downturn caused by severe economic contraction.
However, Castro failed to modernize the Cuban economy during his five decades at the helm. Even today, Cuba is remarkably reliant upon the export of volatile commodities such as nickel and sugar. Castro and his cronies have failed to capitalize on the built-in advantages of the highly literate Cuban workforce by moving into areas such as services. Thus, Cuba’s economy has been relatively stagnant even as many of its neighbors have thrived.
Castro instituted universal health care in Cuba — a remarkable feat for such an impoverished nation. This caused Cuba’s infant mortality to plummet and life expectancy to rise to the level of advanced European nations (that is, higher than the United States). This is accomplished by spending only 6.3 percent of the island’s meager GDP. Building on this strength, Castro has created training programs whereby Cuban doctors share their expertise abroad in exchange for essential goods, such as oil and food.
Yet Castro has presided over a regime that has committed some of the worst human rights abuses. Throughout Castro’s long tenure, thousands of dissidents, journalists and political opponents have been imprisoned and deprived of their rights. Some have even have been tortured and hundreds of thousands have fled for safer shores.
So, adios, Comandante! Love him or hate him, Comrade Castro has had a huge social and political impact. It is now up to the three-quarters of Cubans who have never known any other leader or any other form of government, to determine how he will be remembered. Don’t buy your Fidel T-shirts just yet, though. The old man is a much more dismal face for the revolution than the youthful idealism embodied by Che. But don’t count Fidel out yet.
