The Cuban people need--and deserve--profound change, including political liberty and economic opportunity, even as Fidel and Raúl Castro favor a transition from one dictator to another that preserves the vestiges of the Cuban police state and the nation’s decrepit socialism. Yet much of the world is eager to support a meaningful transition of power that helps Cubans regain their country and attain a more prosperous future.

Other corners of the world offer many examples--in the not-so-distant past--of transitions from dictatorship that left desperate populations disappointed and disheartened, stalling progress toward democracy and free market systems. It is therefore possible to draw on the lessons learned from those examples and make preparations for a timely and substantial support that will sustain a genuine democratic transformation through irreversible political and economic change.

At this event, leading scholars and policymakers will discuss measures that can be adopted to help Cubans expand their freedoms. Panelists will examine and debate the universally recognized labor rights embodied in the so-called Arcos Principles, a set of conditions for foreign investment in Cuba that stress human rights and fair hiring practices. Participants will also address the timing and conditionality of U.S. economic support to ensure that it serves the cause of real change, rather than allowing a post-Castro Cuban regime to tread water.