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Is Castro Already Dead?

Darth Rotor said:
(...) This was completely unnecessary except for a massive lack of spine, and capability, in Europe.
(...) What prevented the EU and WEU from handling it? Two things: Lack of will, and lack of capability beyond the tactical level.
(...) I repeat, so that you don't mistake this: Europe unable to handle its own small security problem.
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That's DR for you! Won't ... and can't!
 
Life after Fidel.
HAVANA, Cuba (AP) -- Fidel Castro's enemies in exile have long predicted that the end of his reign in Cuba would bring dancing in the streets, a mass exodus and a rapid transition to a U.S.-style democracy and market economy.

But almost six months after Castro stepped aside due to illness, the transition has occurred -- and with none of those changes. Cubans are calmly going about their business, and there has been no northbound rush of migrants, and no signs of impending policy shifts.
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dann said:
Life after Fidel.
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For what it's worth, the lack of a rush north seems to be due to both Cuban and US policy, on immigration and emigration, not having changed lately.

I find the stereotypical Cuban expat fantasy about a threshold event when Fidel dies to be as silly as the expectation that the death of Al Zaraqwi was going to materially change the level of violence in Iraq.

45+ years is plenty of time for a political system to reach internal equilibrium, and for the cliques and factions in power to entrench themselves.

DR
 
Darth Rotor said:
Like in the Soviet Union? Like in China?

Depends on the place, now doesn't it? Japan seems to have done OK.

DR
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Dictatorship works just fine as a political system, as long as you make sure to keep everything screwed down tight. Loosen your grip, and BLOOEY!!!, there goes your Soviet Union and all your satellite states.

China appears to be an exception so far. They're capitalizing and slowly backing off the repression as their citizenry becomes more prosperous and more satisfied. The Singapore model comes to mind - highly capitalist, authoritarian/partly free.
 
webfusion said:
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The question remains:

IS castro dead?
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Seems to have been a pretty long time since we've heard from him or seen any photos. He might not be dead, but I'll bet a couple of hundred pesos he's getting worse.
 
Breaking News

BPSCG said:
Seems to have been a pretty long time since we've heard from him or seen any photos. He might not be dead, but I'll bet a couple of hundred pesos he's getting worse.
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Just now on CNN they showed a new video of Castro meeting with Chavez, taken yesterday. These are the first images released of Fidel proving he is alive, and in relatively good health, from outward appearances.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/01/30/news/CB-GEN-Cuba-Castro.php
 
I just saw the video of Chavez visiting Castro. It does not look like lesions or bruising, merely prominent veins due to old age. (I guess now is not the time to have them treated - even if they bother him, which they probably don't.)
 
Y'know, just as an aside, I find this to be the most enjoyable death watch since Yassir Arafat's. Not the least of its attractions being how protracted it is. :)

Okay, I know the Evil Eye is gonna get me for that...
 
BPSCG said:
Y'know, just as an aside, I find this to be the most enjoyable death watch since Yassir Arafat's. Not the least of its attractions being how protracted it is. :)

Okay, I know the Evil Eye is gonna get me for that...
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Fidel Castro and the Holy Grail

Scene 7

Fidel: "I'm not dead yet. I'm feeling better."

Hugo: "Oh shut up, you're not fooling anyone!"

DR
 
Actually, the script as written is even more apposite:
BODY: I think I'll go for a walk.
LARGE MAN: You're not fooling anyone you know.
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Wasn't Hugo saying the other day that Castro was walking, "almost jogging"?
 
Yes, and now he appears to be back. Still frail, still recovering from his fall a couple of years ago and from the recent operation. He could still die from the after-effects. I had an uncle, a few years younger than Fidel Castro now, who seemed to be recovering from similar illnesses some years ago, only to die a couple of weeks later. I am sure that Castro's health is monitored better, however.
But all things considered the man should be able to die happy. He made some mistakes along the way, but the economy of his country seems to be recovering, it has new partners in the region, and even when it is not doing too well,
dann said:
Harvard Publich Health Review: ”Cuba also boasts the highest rate of public health service in Latin America and has one of the highest physician-to-population ratios in the world. Alone remarkable for a developing country, these feats are even more extraordinary considering the context of a US embargo that's been in effect since 1961.”

Health and Education in Cuba: "Cuba's achievements in social development are impressive given the size of its gross domestic product per capita. As the human development index of the United Nations makes clear year after year, Cuba should be the envy of many other nations, ostensibly far richer. [Cuba] demonstrates how much nations can do with the resources they have if they focus on the right priorities - health, education, and literacy."
Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations, April 11, 2000
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dann said:
...the economy of his country seems to be recovering,
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From what? He's run the economy for fifty years; it should be a socialist workers' paradise by now.
it has new partners in the region,
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AKA Hugo Chavez, who seems intent on driving his own country into the same ditch Castro drove his country into.
 
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