The resignation of Fidel Castro as president of Cuba has sparked international speculation about what will happen in that country.

Will Cuba continue as a one-party, communist state? Or will new leaders begin to institute democratic and economic reforms?

Other questions include whether the United States will lift its longstanding embargo. Will travel and trade again open up between the United States and Cuba?

Faculty members from West Virginia Universitys College of Business and Economics and Eberly College of Arts and Sciences are available to comment on the possible impacts of Castros resignation.

  • William N. Trumbull is the director of the Division of Economics and Finance. He has published papers on trade with Cuba, and the U.S. International Trade Commission quotes him in its current study on Cuba. Trumbull previously taught a course on the countrys economy in which he took students to Cuba. He visited Cuba nine times between 1998 and 2004. Recently, he attended a conference in Montreal, where he met with colleagues from the University of Havana. Trumbull can be reached at 304-293-7860 (office), 304-685-5630 (cell) or william.trumbull@mail.wvu.edu .
  • Christopher J. Coyne is an assistant professor of economics at WVU . His interests include economic development and the economics of weak and failed states. He recently published a book,After War: The Political Economy of Exporting Democracy,in which he discusses U.S. efforts to export democracy and markets via military occupation. Coyne can be reached at 304-283-7869 (office), 571-345-5821 (cell) or chris.coyne@mail.wvu.edu .
  • James F. Siekmeier is an assistant professor in WVU s Department of History. His teaching fields include U.S. diplomatic history, U.S.-Latin American relations and modern Latin American history. He has written extensively on U.S. foreign policy during the Cold War and Latin American economic nationalism. Siekmeier can be reached at 304-293-2421 ext. 5225 (office), 304-292-0302 (home) or james.siekmeier@mail.wvu.edu .
  • Joe D. Hagan is the Barnette Professor in Political Science and chair of WVU s Department of Political Science. He also serves as the director of the Universitys International Studies Program. Hagan teaches courses in foreign policy and international relations. While not an expert on Cuba, he is available to comment specifically on leadership change in the Third World. Hagan can be reached at 304-293-3811 ext. 5283 (office) or joe.hagan@mail.wvu.edu .
  • David M. Hauser is a senior lecturer with WVU s Department of Political Science. He has a doctorate in international relations from the University of Pittsburgh and has taught courses on global political issues and world politics. He has written about trade, interstate conflict and economic interdependence. Hauser can be reached at 304-293-3811 ext. 5289 (office), 304-284-8616 (home) or david.hauser@mail.wvu.edu .