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The death of Fidel Castro on November 25
prompted political commentators to speculate on the future of Cuba's
relations with the world, especially with Russia and the United States.
He added that "despite the Cubans'
interest for trade and better living conditions, I don't think they are
ready to sacrifice their sovereignty and the Cuban revolution's
achievements, including those in the field of social security, education
and health."
Fidel Castro died on Friday, at the age
of 90 years old, as announced by his brother, incumbent Cuban President
Raul Castro, on state television earlier in the day. The former
president and revolutionary leader's funeral is scheduled for December 4
in Santiago de Cuba.
In an interview with RT,
Boris Martynov, Deputy Director of the Moscow-based Institute for Latin
American Studies, said that as far as the Cuba-US ties are concerned,
Washington should first and foremost lift its economic embargo
against Cuba which has been in place since 1961.
"The restoration of diplomatic relations [between Washington and Havana] is a formal step. It was made by Barack Obama
who just needed to improve his political image against the background
of his colorless presidency. The serious dialogue is yet to be
launched," Martynov said.
Professor Sergey Sudakov of the Academy
of Military Sciences, for his part, told RT that the Cuban people are
too tired from the sanctions and the oppression of the American
government, and that the Cubans do not trust US politicians.
"Right now, neither [US President-elect Donald] Trump
nor other possible presidents will manage to prod Cuba to go the way
that they want to. As for Russia, it has a good chance [to do so],
Sudakov said.
©
AP Photo/ Andrew St. George
Sudakov, for his part, said that
"with all power in Cuba currently in the hands of Raul Castro, he will
not allow American interests and American investments to quickly
penetrate into his country."
"So the policy of detente will
be greatly constrained by Raul Castro, and the relations between Cuba
and the United States will most likely be frozen in the next five
years," Sudakov said, adding that the Cubans will be afraid of making
drastic changes all at once.
In contrast, Earl Rasmussen, Vice President of the Washington-based Eurasia Center, told RIA Novosti that he believes the US and Cuba have good opportunities to further normalize bilateral relations after Fidel Castro's death.
"I think that it is possible
to continue the policy of stabilization and a full-fledged normalization
of [Cuban-US] relations. In addition, Cuba's strategically important
step to open itself to the world can pave the way for more openness and
economic growth for all the Cubans inside the country and the region
as a whole," Rasmussen said.
According to him, "Fidel Castro will be missed by many, but his death could open new opportunities for the Cuban people."
Meanwhile, some experts say that if
85-year-old Raul Castro's health allows him to be at the helm another
five years, he will be able to prevent Cuba from going through political
upheavals and provide an evolutionary transition of power.
In this vein, finding a worthy successor remains a key priority for Raul Castro, according to experts.
Boris Martynov in turn said that
"since the late 1970s, various presidential candidates have appeared
and disappeared, and that against the background of such charismatic
figures as Fidel and Raul, all these candidates, of course, were losing
in advance."
©
AP Photo/ Javier Galeano
On Saturday, Vladimir Putin
called Cuban President Raul Castro to express condolences on behalf
of the Russian people and himself after the death of Fidel Castro.
Putin described the deceased as a "remarkable
political figure, a patriot" and praised him for his contribution to a
friendship and strategic cooperation between Cuba and Russia.
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