Editing History of Cuba (section)

==Government of Raul Castro (2007–2017)==
[[File:Cumbre de la Unidad de América Latina y el Caribe. Quintana Roo. Con Hugo Chávez y Raul Castro..jpg|230px|thumb|[[Raul Castro]] (far right), with [[Hugo Chavez]] (middle left), in 2010]]

===Transfer of power===
{{Main|2006–2008 Cuban transfer of presidential duties}}
In 2006, Fidel Castro fell ill and withdrew from public life. The following year, Raúl Castro became Acting President. In a letter dated 18 February 2008, Fidel Castro announced his formal resignation, saying "I will not aspire nor accept...the post of President of the Council of State and Commander in Chief."<ref>[http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/02/19/castro/ "Cuba quiet after Castro announces resignation"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111019220440/http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/02/19/castro/ |date=19 October 2011}}. [[CNN]]. 19 February 2008. Retrieved 17 October 2011.</ref> In 2008, Cuba was struck by three separate [[hurricane]]s, in the most destructive hurricane season in the country's history; over 200,000 were left homeless, and over US$5 billion of property damage was caused.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.redcross.ca/donate/your-donation-in-action/past-appeals/international/2008/hurricanes-2008/cuba-hurricanes-2008|title=Cuba Hurricanes 2008|publisher=Canadian Red Cross|access-date=9 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130917072817/http://www.redcross.ca/donate/your-donation-in-action/past-appeals/international/2008/hurricanes-2008/cuba-hurricanes-2008|archive-date=17 September 2013|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7619274.stm|title=Cuban storms damage 'worst ever'|publisher=BBC|date=16 September 2008|access-date=9 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130831080347/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7619274.stm|archive-date=31 August 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Improving foreign relations===
{{Main|Cuban Thaw}}
In July 2012, Cuba received its first American goods shipment in over 50 years, following the partial relaxation of the U.S. embargo to permit humanitarian shipments.<ref name=FirstShip/> In October 2012, Cuba announced the abolition of its much-disliked exit permit system, allowing its citizens more freedom to travel abroad.<ref name=Permit2012/> In February 2013, after his reelection as president, Raúl Castro stated that he would retire from government in 2018 as part of a broader leadership transition.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-cuba-castro-idUSBRE91N0HB20130225|title=Cuban leader Raul Castro says he will retire in 2018|work=Reuters|access-date=10 July 2013|date=25 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603075234/http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/25/us-cuba-castro-idUSBRE91N0HB20130225|archive-date=3 June 2013|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-23471372|title=Cuba in 'gradual power transfer'|work=BBC News|date=26 July 2013|access-date=26 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130727014018/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-23471372|archive-date=27 July 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> In July 2013, Cuba became embroiled in a diplomatic scandal after ''[[Chong Chon Gang]]'', a [[North Korea]]n ship illegally carrying Cuban weapons, was impounded by [[Panama]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/panama/10184188/Cuba-claims-ownership-of-missile-parts-found-on-North-Korean-ship-in-Panama.html|title=Cuba claims ownership of missile parts found on North Korean ship in Panama|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=17 July 2013|access-date=18 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130717133537/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/panama/10184188/Cuba-claims-ownership-of-missile-parts-found-on-North-Korean-ship-in-Panama.html|archive-date=17 July 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

The severe economic strife suffered by Venezuela in the mid-2010s lessened its ability to support Cuba, and may ultimately have contributed to the thawing of Cuban-American relations.<ref name=CallTIME>{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/3639939/venezuela-role-cuba-america-relations/|title=How Venezuela's Collapse Helped Thaw Cuban-American Relations|magazine=Time|date=18 December 2014|access-date=9 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150224011517/http://time.com/3639939/venezuela-role-cuba-america-relations/|archive-date=24 February 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> In December 2014, after a [[Cuban Five|highly publicized exchange of political prisoners]] between the United States and Cuba, U.S. President [[Barack Obama]] announced plans to re-establish diplomatic relations,<ref name=BBCDec2014/> establish an embassy in Havana and improve economic ties. Obama's proposal received both strong criticism and praise from different elements of the [[Cuban American]] community.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/12/did-obama-just-lose-florida.html|title=Did Obama Just Lose Florida?|work=New York|date=17 December 2014|access-date=9 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150218170452/http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/12/did-obama-just-lose-florida.html|archive-date=18 February 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> In April 2015, the U.S. government announced that Cuba would be removed from its [[State Sponsors of Terrorism|list of state sponsors of terrorism]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-cuba-20150417-story.html|title=Cuba off the U.S. terrorism list: Goodbye to a Cold War relic|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=17 April 2015|access-date=18 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150418051437/http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-cuba-20150417-story.html|archive-date=18 April 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Embassy of the United States, Havana|U.S. embassy in Havana]] was formally reopened in August 2015.<ref name=ReOpen2015/> In 2017, staffing levels at the embassy were reduced following [[Havana syndrome|unexplained health incidents]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Torres|first=Nora|date=September 3, 2021|title=Biden administration takes first step to increase staffing at the embassy in Havana|work=[[Miami Herald]]|url=https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/cuba/article253979418.html|access-date=October 23, 2021}}</ref>

===Economic reforms===
As of 2015, Cuba remains one of the few officially [[socialist state]]s in the world. Though it remains diplomatically isolated and afflicted by economic inefficiency, major currency reforms were begun in the 2010s, and efforts to free up domestic [[private enterprise]] are now underway.<ref name=EconMoneyTalks>{{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/news/americas/21581990-and-eventually-perhaps-one-currency-tempo-reform-accelerates-money-starts|title=Cuba's economy: Money starts to talk|newspaper=The Economist|date=20 July 2013|access-date=9 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150224013150/http://www.economist.com/news/americas/21581990-and-eventually-perhaps-one-currency-tempo-reform-accelerates-money-starts|archive-date=24 February 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> Living standards in the country have improved significantly since the turmoil of the Special Period, with [[GDP per capita]] in terms of [[purchasing power parity]] rising from less than US$2,000 in 1999 to nearly $10,000 in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indexmundi.com/g/g.aspx?c=cu&v=67|title=Cuba – GDP – per capita (PPP)|publisher=Index Mundi|year=2011|access-date=9 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150209155629/http://www.indexmundi.com/g/g.aspx?c=cu&v=67|archive-date=9 February 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Tourism in Cuba|Tourism]] has furthermore become a significant source of prosperity for Cuba.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/22/cuba-tourism_n_6365884.html|title=Cuba Tourism Expected To Rise After Obama Change|date=22 December 2014|work=Huffington Post|access-date=9 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150107140904/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/22/cuba-tourism_n_6365884.html|archive-date=7 January 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

Despite the reforms, Cuba remains afflicted by chronic shortages of food and medicines. The electrical and water services are still unreliable. In July 2021, [[2021 Cuban protests|protests]] erupted over these problems and the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but primarily because of the historical government oppression, profound lack of opportunities, and repression of personal liberties.<ref>{{cite web
 | url =https://news.yahoo.com/cuba-protests-frustration-government-runs-105017439.html
 | title =Cuba protests: Frustration at government runs deep
 | last =Fletcher
 | first =Pascal
 | date =14 July 2021
 | website =BBC Monitoring
 | access-date =14 July 2021}}</ref>