Jon Lee Anderson

The falling apart of relations in Trump 1 and now Trump 2.

Biden did nothing during his four years to alter the things in Cuba, for better or worse.

So, DSK now is a kind of

Yeah, he's a working stiff, really, and doesn't have a huge amount of respect from the population, but nor is he seen as particularly evil.

He's seen as the front man for the regime, which continues to be controlled from behind the curtains by the elderly Raul Castro and his family.

So...

Raul Diaz-Canel, you know, he won his reelection three years ago.

So he has two to go.

He has to leave office in April 2028.

He won his reelection to give you an idea of the kind of politics on the island under the slogan of continuidad, continuity, which, you know, doesn't appeal to people under 30 years old.

And, you know, he's uninspiring.

Yeah, exactly.

But you have to put into context that this is a regime that presents itself as the revolutionary continuation, which includes notions of sacrifice.

In a way, there's analogies here to Iran, right?

This idea of sacrifice, a common enemy, the Yankee imperialist regime.

empire just there over the sea as ever oppressing us.

Increasing numbers of Cubans don't believe that anymore, but they have little agency to alter the situation.

And Diaz-Canel always succeeds in disappointing.

He even defers, almost as if Raul Castro was the supreme leader, as Iranian presidents do.

So back to part of your first question, what does it do to remove him?