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tor Fidel Castro. For his part, Castro rarely missed an oppor- tunity to castigate the United States—or to blame the yanquis for the many problems that beset Cuba under his leader- ship, particularly the island’s chronically underperforming economy. Failing health forced Fidel Castro to step down in 2008.

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To see a news report about President Obama’s visit to Cuba, scan here:

Power passed to his brother Raúl, who gradually instituted a series of modest reforms. Those reforms concentrated on improving Cuba’s economy. Raúl Castro gave little indication that his agenda included improved relations with the United States. However, in mid-2013 negotiators from the two coun- tries began secret talks. And in December 2014 came the sur- prise announcement that Cuba and the United States would resume formal diplomatic relations, which had been severed in 1961. During the summer of 2015, Cuba opened an embassy in Washington, D.C., and the United States opened an embassy in Havana. All of this paved the way for President Obama’s his- toric visit to Cuba. Judging by the reception the president received, ordinary Cubans heartily approved of the thaw in relations with the United States. Throughout his three-day visit to the island, Obama was greeted by enthusiastic crowds. When he and his family toured San Cristóbal, Old Havana’s 18th-century cathe- dral, onlookers erupted in a chant of “USA! USA!” Later, wav-

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The Opening of Cuba, 2008-Present