POPULATION:
15,352,121
LITERACY RATE:
64%
SELF DEFENSE FORCES:
Panamanian Public Forces, Independent Canal Military Forces,
LANGUAGES:
Spanish, English (high bilinguil rate)
ETHNIC GROUPS:
Mulatto  47%,  White 39%, Black 13%, Other 1%
BORDERING COUNTRIES:
None
CUBA - Cuba after Castro's death has become a transitional place of constant power change. It is a nation on the edge and has become a haven for criminals from the United States, fleeing persecution by the law and looking for a safe haven. Drug dens and prostitution have become common. Infiltration by major European Corporates and old Diehard CIA agents has made the governmental body a dangerous game of politics. Meanwhile, street gangs have taken the streets of the cities, even penetrating into Havana. South American Cartels have targeted their sites on the country so close to the free world. Cuban citizens are enraged, as the death of their great leader has lead to a fractured structure, long gone are the days of free education and healthcare, which made Cuba a decent place to live. Now corporations' form great monopolies and hike up the prices so only the rich can afford to have good educations or healthcare. The people on the street are angry and many of the older generations are well educated, they find their only choice is to turn to criminal enterprises, competing with the U.S. and South American syndicates for drug manufacture and smuggling.

After Castro's Death, the country goes through numerous changes, including Increased troop presence from U.S. acitivity in Guantánamo Bay Naval Base rouses tensions between the two countries. Small border skirmishes by "armed criminals" occasionally occur on the base. Hardline Generals lead by Raul Castro, act on plans laid down before Castro's death and manage to keep most CIA agents at bay, some of the deadly spy games result in the deaths of over 20 agents in the country. These loses make it back to Washington and the CIA is given a warning.  The CIA does not get a 2nd warning, because of a failed CIA planned assault on Crystal Palace by a terrorist group and ESA warnings in the form of a 12 Ton rock fired from a Massdriver, Washington holds a review board on many CIA operations, including those in Cuba.
 
After the end of the Second SouthAm war, CIA agents are recalled from the country, but during the mad shuffle and retraction of troops from Guantánamo Bay Naval Base, some embittered agents with contacts in country remain behind and attempt to legitimately establish a power base in the country. CIA trained Guerillas are exposed by to the Government forces and a purge of government and military is made by the Cuban Army. 200 die from automatic fire during a Havana protest by CIA backed college students.
Slowly, the Cuban economy becomes bankrupt from shadow war with the U.S. intelligence agencies and from policing a nation under unrest and guilt from the death of its leader. Poor leadership and handling of government run institutions cause the new leader, Raul Castro to extend a trading offer to the European Union in order to get around the embargo. The European Economic Councils votes to allow trading rights with the EU on a push by the Spanish Prime Minister. Cuba is considered on a trial basis for appeal into the EU.

After trading rights with Europe are opened, the Cuban military modernizes with European hardware and missiles sites capable of hitting U.S. cities. United States military renews CIA activity clandestinely into Cuba, in order to monitor European activity.  Soon a Media scandal is created in the United States, as its found that South American Cartels are using Cuba as a shipping point for drugs into Miami, Florida and to the rest of the United States. Many site this as an example of the failure of the 2nd South Am war. Increased Coast Guard patrols are a result. Raul Castro dies of "natural causes." Pressure from the EU and the U.S. causes the country to agree to open democratic elections.

After Raul's death, European corporations and the World Bank get Cuba to agree to privatize its utility, educational, and healthcare systems, allowing companies to establish overpriced monopolies. Street protests begin by Cuban citizens in response to the corporate privatization. Competition by U.S. corporations increases during much of the privatization, creating a competitive market among U.S. and European corporate interests. In 'Capitalist' Cuba, Illegal cyber clinics and drug bars open up throughout the cities, allowing procedures and pharmaceuticals which are unavailable in the United States to be just a boat ride away. Not more than a year after, revolutionary forces among the poorer populations of Cuba begin to fight back against the government and corporate interests.


(Written by Joe "Citizen X" Klemann: Some Information is taken from the CIA Worldfactbook, Wikipedia, Geographia.com, and Cyberpunk 2020.)