Is This the End of the Fidel Castro Era?
Americas Quarterly••world
Key Points:
- On January 8, 1959, Fidel Castro's revolutionary forces entered Havana, marking the start of a half-century of significant political influence in Cuba and across Latin America, inspiring similar regimes in Venezuela and Nicaragua.
- Despite Fidel Castro's death in 2016, the political and economic model he pioneered has been in decline, with the recent U.S. intervention and Nicolás Maduro's arrest in Venezuela symbolizing a potential end to the Castro-era leftist influence.
- Venezuela's severe economic collapse and mass emigration have exposed the failures of the Castro-Chavista model, leading to widespread regional disillusionment, as reflected in polls showing Maduro as the most unpopular figure in Latin America.
- Cuba faces ongoing challenges including blackouts, food shortages,
