Cuba awaits its fate in wake of Chavez illness

President of Venezuela Hugo Chavez’s struggle with cancer has severely shaken Cuban society, according to terra.com. A long-lasting friendship between Chavez and Fidel Castro, now carried on with Raul Castro, has been the glue to a strong economic relationship between the 2 nations that has greatly boosted the economy and overall standard of living in Cuba. Cuban citizens are grateful for Chavez’s operations on the island that have ended blackouts, implemented combustible fuel transportation and improved the economic situation of tens of thousands of Cubans. Raul Castor has diversified trade during his time in office, specifically with China, so the Cuban economy does not rely as heavily on Venezuela as it once did, but Chavez’s death could lead to a similar economic crash in Cuba as they experienced during the fall of the Soviet Union. Cuba currently receives 100 thousand barrels of oil daily from Caracas and over 50 thousand Cubans are employed in Venezuela. Chavez’s death could truly be the end of the Cuban Revolution and would greatly affect the struggle for socialism and integration in Latin America. Many citizens believe Chavez’s death would also affect other poor countries in Latin America.
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