Fidel Castro to step down as Cuban president

Fidel Castro, the communist strongman who has led Cuba for 49 years, will step down as president of the Caribbean country, according to a letter published in the state newspaper Granma.

According to a report by the BBC, Castro wrote, “I neither will aspire to nor will I accept, the position of president of the Council of state and commander in chief.”

Castro, 81, has ruled Cuba since leading a revolutionary uprising in 1959. He stepped down as day-to-day ruler of the country in 2006, handing power to his brother, Raul Castro, when he underwent intestinal surgery, but retained his title and the ability to reclaim the office.

Castro has been a thorn in the side of the United States almost from the moment he stepped onto the scene. In 1960, Castro signed an agreement with the Soviet Union to purchase oil, and later Cuba agreed to host Soviet nuclear missiles, sparking the Cuban Missile Crisis. The U.S. tried repeatedly to remove Castro from power, including the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961. In 1962, the United States imposed an embargo on Cuba, which remains in effect to this day.

The future of Cuba is now very much in question. While Castro’s brother will evidently remain in charge, Raul is 76 years old. Cuba remains one of the few communist nations in the world; its primary patron, the Soviet Union, dissolved in 1991. While it is likely that there will be no immediate turmoil in the aftermath of Castro’s resignation, his decision to retire will likely impact both Cuba’s internal politics and relations between the island nation and the United States.