Wednesday, 10 Oct 2007 09:03
Castro's rise to power
Castro took control of Cuba in 1959 following a lengthy militia
campaign. After being released from prison for his role in a 1953 rebel
attack, he promptly formed a new band of insurgents in Mexico and
returned to the Caribbean island in 1956 to fight the military
dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. Batista's cruel repression fuelled
Cuban resentment and gradually swelled the ranks of Castro's rebels. A
steady stream of victories in 1958 prompted Batista to flee to Portugal
in February 1959, leaving the path clear for Castro.
A thorn in the side
Despite supporting Castro by imposing a Cuban arms embargo in 1958, the
US soon grew to distrust its neighbour. A wide-ranging set of political
reforms implemented by the new government included the nationalisation
of Cuban assets, meaning the US lost millions of dollars worth of
investment almost overnight. The ejection of US-based Mafiosi and the
violent suppression of political dissenters soured relationships
further, while an aid agreement struck in 1960 between the Soviet Union
and Cuba terrified the US as the Cold War loomed large.
The Bay of Pigs Invasion
Responding to the perceived threat, the CIA began secretly training up
Cuban exiles in Florida to help them overthrow Castro. However, the Bay
of Pigs invasion was a disaster as US president John F. Kennedy denied
aerial support in a bid to appear impartial and Cuba repelled the
attack. This prompted the US to adopt more covert methods of regime
change. In 1999, the then head of the Cuban secret services estimated
there had been 638 plots to assassinate Castro down the years, with the
CIA was believed to have tried explosives-laden conch shells, poisoned
diving suits and even exploding cigars.
The Cuban Missile Crisis
However, the Cuba-US neighbourly dispute assumed a global significance
in 1962 at the height of the Cold War. The Soviet Union, keen to gain a
strategic foothold on its rival's doorstep, struck a deal with Castro to
install nuclear weapons on the island. The resulting crisis was the
closest the world has come to nuclear war.
The crisis started when the Soviets launched a convoy of ships across
the Atlantic to deliver nuclear missiles to Cuba. However, the US
learned of the plans and immediately surrounded Castro's island,
threatening to destroy any ship found running the blockade. As the
convoy neared, both superpowers prepared their respective nuclear
arsenals for launch. However, a war was narrowly averted when the Soviet
ships withdrew and the world breathed a collective sigh of relief.
An enigma
Modern-day Cuba is a puzzle. On the one hand, the island has a legendary
healthcare system and an education-for-all programme that is almost as
famous. On the other hand, hundreds of thousands of Cubans have fled to
Florida and beyond following Castro's crackdowns against free speech,
freedom of association and anything "contrary to the decision of the
Cuban people to build socialism and communism".
Last year, as Castro temporarily ceded power, US secretary of state
Condoleezza Rice called upon the Cuban population to rise up in support
of a full and open democracy. The methods may have changed somewhat, but
almost half a century later, it appears the US is still preoccupied with
its diminutive communist neighbour.
Update: Castro clings on
The White House may talk about Cuba as a country preparing for change,
but Fidel Castro appeared as keen as ever to show he was sticking around
at the end of September 2007.
The ailing revolutionary, who was forced to temporarily cede power to
his brother after a period of ill health, gave his first television
interview for three months on Friday 21st.
"Well, I'm still here," the 81-year-old said.
"And if they say I'm dying, or have died, or I'm going to die the day
after tomorrow, well, no-one knows when they're going to die."
Mr Castro squashed speculation that he has already died by citing
contemporary events, but Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez stoked the
fires of mis-truths in his typically exaggerated style, saying he could
"live 100 more years".
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