Fidel Castro served as the Prime Minister and then President of Cuba from 1959 until his resignation in February, 2008.

As the Obama Administration lifted all sanctions for money transfers between U.S. citizens and their relatives residing in Cuba, and as Raul Castro expressed interest in opening up talks with the U.S., former President Fidel Castro released a statement in a Cuban newspaper that seems to dismiss what Obama called a "thawing" of relations between the two countries.CNN.com: Obama misreads Cuban offer, Fidel Castro says (April 22, 2009)

Speculations on Castro's health has continued since he had intestinal surgery in 2006 for a colon infection. When Castro resigned, he cited his failing health as the reason.The New York Times: Fidel Castro Resigns as Cuba's President (February 19, 2008) In January 2009, there was more speculation that Castro's health had drastically deteriorated, with reports from anonymous sources close to Castro that the former president suffered from memory loss and incoherence.The Miami Herald: U.S. keeps an eye on Fidel Castro's shaky health (January 14, 2009)

Starting in the 1960s, Castro developed a relationship with the Soviet Union and opposed the regional dominance of the United States. The United States famously tried to remove Castro from power using a wide variety of events, operations, plans and techniques. Most notable are the Bay of Pigs Invasion and the over 600 CIA led assassination attempts.BBC News: Castro: Profile of the Great Survivor

A critic of the Fulgencio Batista regime and United States influence in Cuba in the 1950s, Castro organized and led the successful guerrilla uprising that took place in 1956. On July 31, 2006, Fidel Castro, who had been suffering from an intestinal illness, transferred his duties and responsibilities to Raul Castro and announced his plans for resignation on February 19, 2008. Raul Castro was elected on February 24, 2008.

On Friday, February 20, 2009, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez made an impromptu, 24-hour trip to Cuba, where he met privately and on two separate occasions with Fidel Castro. He also made a public appearance with current President Raul Castro.FOXNews.com: Chavez Makes Surprise Visit to Cuba, Meets With Castro (February 22, 2009) After arriving back home, Chavez commented that Castro had looked healthier than he had seen him in 3 years, and that he had even gone out for a walk.MSNBC: Chavez: Fidel Castro in 'very, very good shape' (February 27, 2009)

On April 7, 2009, Castro met with visiting members of the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus, a day after they met with his brother Raul Castro, currently leader of Cuba. The move is seen as a first step to warming the decades-long political freeze between Cuba and the United States.CNN: U.S. lawmakers meet with Fidel Castro (April 7, 2009) However, since then, Fidel Castro released a statement putting a damper on rising hopes for better U.S.-Cuba relations by saying U.S. President Barack Obama had misinterpreted his brother's apparently conciliatory words in the above meeting.