Sixty years ago, on 1 January 1959, the dictator Fulgencio Batista fled Cuba, overcome by the 26th of July Movement, led by the revolutionary Fidel Castro. The latter, on 2 January of the same year, seized power, entering Santiago amid celebrating crowds. Six days later, he reached Havana, making a triumphant entrance into the future capital.

Raul Castro celebrates the Revolución by attacking the United States

The historic leader of the Caribbean nation died on 25 November 2016. His successor, his brother Raul, handed over the reins of the island to Miguel Diaz-Canel in April 2018. But it was precisely the last heir of the Castro dynasty — still today First Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party — who took the floor to mark the anniversary of the Revolución. And he did so by directly attacking US president Donald Trump.

"Once again," Raul explained, "the United States government seems to be choosing the path of hostility against Cuba, presenting our peaceful and solidarity-minded country as a threat to the region." During the years of Barack Obama's presidency, the White House had in fact pursued a policy of openness towards Havana.

In December 2015, a historic rapprochement had laid the groundwork for a reconciliation. The following March, Obama landed in the Cuban capital: for the first time in 88 years, a US president was setting foot on the island's soil.

But Trump's rise to power fundamentally altered the diplomatic relations between the two countries. The American president decided to maintain the economic embargo against Cuba, stating that the latter, together with Venezuela and Nicaragua, represents a "troika of tyranny".

"We want to coexist in a civilised manner"

"I wish to reiterate our willingness to coexist in a civilised manner, despite our differences," Raul Castro stated in his speech, "on the basis of relations of peace, respect and mutual assistance with the United States." Cuba, for its part, finds itself in a situation of political isolation, at a time when many countries across the broader American region now have right-wing governments.

The latest conservative leader to take office was Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro, who declared his intention to "fight against the dictators of Cuba and Venezuela, Diaz-Canel and Nicolas Maduro". The only leaders to send greetings to Havana for the sixtieth anniversary of the revolution were Bolivia's Evo Morales, Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega, and the leader of Caracas himself.

Thanks to its great social advances, particularly in health and education, the Revolución was supported by a large part of the Cuban people. This contributed to the extraordinarily long life of the Castrist regime, sustained for decades by the Soviet Union. Over the past decade, however, the crisis has weighed heavily on the local economy, which can no longer count on support from Venezuela either, particularly for the supply of oil.

The referendum on the new Constitution on 24 February 2019

"The economy is suffocating", Raul Castro acknowledged, once again blaming the American embargo, which "cost Cuba 4.32 billion dollars in 2018 alone". Fidel's brother then made an appeal to cut unnecessary spending, diversify exports and encourage foreign investment.

On 24 February 2019, the government will hold a referendum among the population with the aim of approving a new Constitution that recognises private property and the market, without, however, abandoning the goal of a communist society. An enormous challenge for Diaz-Canel.