Carlos Gutierrez

As dictator Fidel Castro shuffles off the world stage, many are poised to help Cubans rebuild their nation and secure the blessings of democracy and economic freedom. After decades of Castro’s embargo on reality, Cuba’s transition will be challenging. But the Cuban people have proven themselves to be talented and resourceful, and shedding a worn-out dictatorship will generate a burst of hope and energy. People on the island and their families abroad will shape the future of Cuba, but the United States can play a crucial, supportive role by joining the Cuban people in pressing for a genuine transition that dismantles the vestiges of a cruel police state and command economy by rejecting a rapprochement with a “successor” regime.

Cuba experts and key U.S. policymakers will gather at AEI to discuss how best to address the challenges of establishing the rule of law and democracy, helping Cuban society reconcile and recover its past greatness, and jumpstarting economic reconstruction.