Well, this was some interesting news to wake up to this morning. From the AP:
An ailing Fidel Castro resigned as Cuba’s president Tuesday after nearly a half-century in power, saying he was retiring and will not accept a new term when the new parliament meets Sunday.[...]
The announcement effectively ends the rule of the 81-year-old Castro after almost 50 years, positioning his 76-year-old brother Raul for permanent succession to the presidency. Fidel Castro temporarily ceded his powers to his brother on July 31, 2006, when he announced that he had undergone intestinal surgery.
Apparently, anybody with the name “Castro” is presidente non grata in Washington’s eyes:
The United States, bent on ensuring neither brother is in power, built a detailed plan in 2005 for American assistance to ensure a democratic transition on the island of 11.2 million people after Fidel Castro’s death. But Cuban officials insisted there would be no transition, saying the island’s socialist political and economic systems would outlive Castro.
So, for a a little while longer, Cuba will remain a yanqui-less playground for Canadian and European tourists.
