Though Fidel Castro was an authoritarian leader with no tolerance for dissenting views and little regard for human rights, Cuba under his rule developed and maintained robust public education and healthcare programs. This seeming contradiction exemplifies some of the challenges that understanding Cuba presents. In short, Cuba’s governance in the past and today is complicated.

SIS professor Philip Brenner joins Big World to discuss what Cuba has gotten right. He shares his thoughts on Senator Bernie Sanders’ surprisingly controversial remarks about the country earlier this year (2:22) and reveals what we may not know about present-day Cuba when our perceptions are colored by attitudes toward Castro (5:00). Professor Brenner also breaks down the impact of Cuba’s investment in public health after the revolution, including its medical diplomacy efforts before and during the coronavirus pandemic (7:41).

What has led to Cuba’s modern-day emergence of entrepreneurship (12:30), and how different is life in the country today for the average school kid than it was under Castro (18:43)? Professor Brenner answers these questions and describes the current state of the US’s bilateral relationship with Cuba (21:10). We end our podcast with Professor Brenner recommending what US-Cuba relations should be like going forward (25:24).

During our “Take Five” segment, Professor Brenner shares the five practices he would change to improve the US’s policies toward Latin America (15:07).