At the spring 2011 Party Congress Raúl Castro, in addition to proposing economic reforms, addressed important political issues regarding the role of the Communist Party. The following year, in January 2012, a Party National Conference, the first in CCP history, was convened to discuss social and ideological issues including racial discrimination and the role of the media. This panel examines the political and social implications of economic reforms, as well as other topics on the public agenda (travel restrictions, freedom of expression, migration), and the impact of these developments for Cuba, the US and Cuban American relations. (#24444)