Episode Notes:

Raúl Castro announced that he is stepping down as head of Cuba’s Communist Party. The 89-year-old will be replaced by Miguel Díaz-Canel, who currently serves as the country’s president. The move represents the end of an era for Cuba and the region. The Castro family — under Raul and before that his brother Fidel — has ruled Cuba since the country’s 1959 revolution.

Andrés Pertierra — a historian of U.S.-Cuban relations and Ph.D. student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison — joins the Warcast to discuss the latest news from Cuba.

[ 00:49 ] Why did Raul Castro step down as head of Cuba's communist party?

[ 02:55 ] Who will be in charge of the Cuban communist party going forward, and what are the key things we should understand about them?

[ 06:17 ] What will be the implications for U.S.-Cuban relations?