In Focus delivers deeper coverage of the political, cultural, and ideological issues shaping America. Published daily by senior writers and experts, these in-depth pieces go beyond the headlines to give readers the full picture. You can find our full list of In Focus pieces here.

The histories and present realities of Cuba and the United States are so intricately interwoven that the State Department’s recent Cuba report is really about how, for 67 years, the island’s regime has tailored its peculiar form of Marxism to shape American politics.