Castro Resigns

Official reports indicate ailing Cuban President Fidel Castro is resigning his office. His 49 year service makes him among the longest-serving heads-of-state in history, and his departure marks a pivotal moment in U.S. foreign policy.

Just 90 miles from the Florida coast, Cuba and Castro have been thorns in the side of American presidents since the Kennedy Administration. Castro came to power in 1959. He nationalized all American property on the island, and relations between the United States and Cuba have been downhill from there. In 1960, the United States gave weak support to a failed invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs. In 1962 Castro allowed the Soviet Union to install nuclear missiles on the island. The resulting Cuban Missile Crisis led the world to the brink of nuclear war.

The U.S. has had an almost full embargo on Cuba since 1961. Travel and trade between the U.S. and Cuba is heavily restricted. Supporters of the policy say it is the best way to squeeze Castro out of power. Critics say it is time to try something new since Castro uses American hostility as a way to rally support for his government.

U.S. President George Bush has tried "more of the same" for the past eight years. He tightened limits which now allow Cuban-Americans to travel home only once every three years and to send no more than $100 a month to family in Cuba.

Among the leading U.S. presidential candidates, Senators John McCain and Hillary Clinton have advocated little change in current U.S.-Cuba policy. Senator Barack Obama has called for "unrestricted rights" on Cuban-American travel and money sent by family member to the island. Steve Clemons at The Washington Note speculates on how the candidates will react to the Castro news.

For decades, critics of U.S. policy toward Cuba have said the policy amounts to little more than "wait for Castro to die." Well, that day has not yet come. But Castro's resignation is a significant milestone.

As we wait to see how the Cuban transition plays out and what it means for U.S. foreign policy, here are some useful background resources.

• A Chapter Closes, from the About Guide to U.S. Politics
• Will Democracy Come to Cuba Now?, from the About Guide to U.S. Government Information
• Fidel Castro Steps Down, from the About Guide to World News
• The Day Castro Dies, from the About Guide U.S. Government Information
• Biography, from the About Guide to 20th Century History
• Short biography of Fidel Castro, from the About Guide to U.S. Foreign Policy
• Profile of U.S.-Cuban Relations, from the About Guide to U.S. Foreign Policy
• Timeline of U.S.-Cuban Relations, from the About Guide to U.S. Foreign Policy
• Cuba Background, from the About Guide to Geography
• Biography, from BBC News
• Resources, from The American Experience