Castro resigns.

[Chaselation]

How will Cuba change? Do they become a democracy now?

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/reuters/080219/world/international_cuba_castro_dc

[ApeTheDog]

I do not know enough about the situation to make a judgement at all. This is going to change some things, though perhaps not as much since his brother is taking over. I do remember one thing about Castro that I'll just share in here, happening to find myself in the predicament of typing into this box as I am.

At one time, there were problems with people not eating enough fish in Cuba, and it was decided they would stimulate the people to eat more of them. They aired a commercial on television that was simply Fidel Castro, sitting at a table, quietly eating a fish for a few minutes. Then, he simply said: "Now you do it". It's a charismatic way to do things, and it worked.

I'm not in favor of dictatorships, but Fidel Castro was a lot more benevolent than a Mussolini or a Hitler were, and he stayed true to himself.

[Ferrus]

I doubt it will change much so long as his brother is in power and he is alive.

[zhang_bob]

I doubt it will change much so long as his brother is in power and he is alive.


I admit I don't really know anything about Cuban politics, but from what I hear Raul is much less charismatic than his brother. Vice-President Carlos Lage Davila will probably have a bigger part in the future of Cuba than Raul in the long term.

Carlos Lage Davila in the early 1990s was thearchitect of Cuba's abortive flirtation with capitalism, that embrace the less threatening aspects of the free market, and guided Cuba towards a mixed economy. As far as I know, Carlos Lage Davila is more or less running their economy now anyway, and has been doing so for sometime.

[Noses]

...

At one time, there were problems with people not eating enough fish in Cuba, and it was decided they would stimulate the people to eat more of them. They aired a commercial on television that was simply Fidel Castro, sitting at a table, quietly eating a fish for a few minutes. Then, he simply said: "Now you do it". It's a charismatic way to do things, and it worked.

I'm not in favor of dictatorships, but Fidel Castro was a lot more benevolent than a Mussolini or a Hitler were, and he stayed true to himself.

I wonder what would happen if we had a 30 second commerical in the US of Bush handing money over to a shop clerk, ala the fish thing.

How much you want to bet that we would all bust out laughing?

[Dark Razor]

Long live Fidel Castro and Cuban peoples revolution.

I seriously hope that Cuba does not devolve into a western style "democracy". Because what we call democracy is just an irrelevant circus to entertain the masses and keep the power firmly in the hands of the people with the money.

What the west understands as democracy is essentially any government that allows the free flow of capital and the exploitation of the host country by "foreign investors".

I hope that Cuba continues to develop its relationship with other latin American countries such as Venezuella and that they can find their own way towards a more democratic type of government. The United states will likely continue or even intensify their economic warfare against Cuba, however now that Cuba has a few allies it can hopefully develop despite continued US aggression.

I think that after Castro leaves it will show whether the Cuban revolution was a revolution of a people, where the revolutionary spirit is ingrained in the masses so that it will continue to evolve even without a great leader, or if it was a revolution of one man, that dies with him.

From what I have read of Castro's writings, his goal has been to create the former, whether or not he was succesful remains to be seen.

[ApeTheDog]

I wonder what would happen if we had a 30 second commerical in the US of Bush handing money over to a shop clerk, ala the fish thing.

How much you want to bet that we would all bust out laughing?

That would be a really funny sight, yes :)

30 seconds of George Bush handing over nickles with Dick Cheney looking over him like a worried parent, then trying to seriously stare into the camera and saying "Trickle down economics. It's a blast!"

[C.J.Woolf]

I think that after Castro leaves it will show whether the Cuban revolution was a revolution of a people, where the revolutionary spirit is ingrained in the masses so that it will continue to evolve even without a great leader, or if it was a revolution of one man, that dies with him.
I expect it will be the former. It says a lot that Fidel Castro can retire. Most dictators die in power -- or just after losing it (BANG!) -- or in exile -- because most dictators ride a tiger. There's no safe way to get off.

[Chaselation]

I expect it will be the former. It says a lot that Fidel Castro can retire. Most dictators die in power -- or just after losing it (BANG!) -- or in exile -- because most dictators ride a tiger. There's no safe way to get off.

Listening to random "experts" on CBC today the consensus seems to be status quo. His brother is not a certainty, Castro mentioned the need for younger blood which would seem to leave his brother out of the picture. Whoever follows will have his endorsement and would share his ideology. So changes are likely to be minor at least for the short term.

I'm not sure if it's good or bad for the Cuban people. I do know it will remain an uncrowded vacation destination for Canadians.:happpy:

[Ellipsis]

As far as dictators go Castro has been "one of the better ones"...I think it could get a lot worse if Castro does not pick a "good one"...also I don't know how Cubans would react to this...Castro "earned" his position and some of the respect of his position, the next guy will only get it because he was buddy buddy with Castro.

[Karl]

I admit I don't really know anything about Cuban politics, but from what I hear Raul is much less charismatic than his brother.

Raul Castro is less charismatic than Fidel. In fact, he dislikes giving speeches and avoids it unless he thinks it's very important. However, he has given speeches, and he lead the March of the Torches (http://www.granma.cu/ingles/2008/enero/lun28/antorc.html), which Fidel Castro normally would have done. So I wouldn't say that he's a bad public figure.

Also, Fidel Castro did not resign. He still president. However, he will not run in the presidential elections, which occur in about a week. He's serving his term like an elected leader, and he's ending his position normally. This is much better than dying an office.

Castro says that he's not going to run again and explains why here:
http://www.granma.cu/ingles/

Actually I've been having trouble getting on cuba's news sites starting today, so I can't link directly to it, but it was on the front page this morning. Maybe it's just they're suddenly being flooded with attention, and can't support all the sudden and new traffic.

[Thevenin]

Long live Fidel Castro and Cuban peoples revolution.

I seriously hope that Cuba does not devolve into a western style "democracy". Because what we call democracy is just an irrelevant circus to entertain the masses and keep the power firmly in the hands of the people with the money.

What the west understands as democracy is essentially any government that allows the free flow of capital and the exploitation of the host country by "foreign investors".

I hope that Cuba continues to develop its relationship with other latin American countries such as Venezuella and that they can find their own way towards a more democratic type of government. The United states will likely continue or even intensify their economic warfare against Cuba, however now that Cuba has a few allies it can hopefully develop despite continued US aggression.

I think that after Castro leaves it will show whether the Cuban revolution was a revolution of a people, where the revolutionary spirit is ingrained in the masses so that it will continue to evolve even without a great leader, or if it was a revolution of one man, that dies with him.

From what I have read of Castro's writings, his goal has been to create the former, whether or not he was succesful remains to be seen.

You wouldn't want to live in Cuba or Venezuela. Try calling Castro or his brother assholes and see how long you stay out of prison. If it weren't for what little remains of democracy and the pro-democracy students in Venezuela, Chavez would have changed the Venezuelan constitution and now be president for life. He has ruined that country, the middle class is leaving by droves, and the working class is beginning to see him for the autocratic, authoritarian fraud of a president that he is. Castro and Chavez are dictators who brook no opposition and who've happily expelled, actively or passively, the educated classes of their countries. That's why those who remain are all brought down to a low common denominator standard of living. In Cuba, everyone is equally poor, except for Castro and his buddies. You may not like free markets (perhaps you prefer five year plans), but they've kept you and the vast majority of Europeans "fat and happy." It's no fun being an INTP (or any other type) in a society where access to information is controlled, your ability to think, read and write is limited and pursuing the truth is impossible. Cuba without Castro (Fidel, that is) will still be undemocratic--Castro's buddies will see to it.

[Karl]

There tends to be a strong correlation between education and wealth in capitalist countries. "Intellectuals" often end up being a reactionary group overall, near the beginning of the revolutionary period. They aren't targeted because the government hates free thought, which these people are supposedly better at, or because these are the enlightened people capable of opposing them. That line of thought is reminiscent of the Platonic "rule by philosophers," which in the end is a justification for elitism.

Also, I've never heard your "call Castro an asshole and get thrown in jail." I have read that closer to the revolution, if you criticized Castro and the government, random people would get angry and beat you up. Apparently this doesn't happen so much anymore.

[Thevenin]

There tends to be a strong correlation between education and wealth in capitalist countries. "Intellectuals" often end up being a reactionary group overall, near the beginning of the revolutionary period. They aren't targeted because the government hates free thought, which these people are supposedly better at, or because these are the enlightened people capable of opposing them. That line of thought is reminiscent of the Platonic "rule by philosophers," which in the end is a justification for elitism.

Also, I've never heard your "call Castro an asshole and get thrown in jail." I have read that closer to the revolution, if you criticized Castro and the government, random people would get angry and beat you up. Apparently this doesn't happen so much anymore.

On average, the more educated a person, the better his or her economic prospects in capitalist, socialist, and other countries. OTOH, at least in the US and Europe, faculties, particularly in universities, tend to be overwhelmingly leftist, regardless of how they become labeled by revolutionaries. It's easy, in the ivory tower, to avoid having one's ideas tested in the real world, and, thus, to retain ridiculous notions well past their refutation by events. Historically, though, intellectuals have fared poorly during, or as a result of, revolutions--think, e.g., Mao's cultural revolution or Stalinist purges.

[Limey]

Did he ever sign in the first place?
methinks he stole the pen!