As Fidel Castro steps down, a political shakeup in Cuba?

[apples]

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2011/0419/As-Fidel-Castro-steps-down-a-political-shakeup-in-Cuba

Delegates since Saturday have debated more than 300 proposals to overhaul the struggling economy. Details on who will fill leadership roles are expected to emerge later today.

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By Sara Miller Llana, Staff writer / April 19, 2011
Mexico City

Cubans could face an economic and political shakeup today, when details of reforms passed at the Sixth Party Congress are released at the close of the summit.
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Delegates since Saturday have debated more than 300 proposals to overhaul the struggling economy. They're also set to approve new party leadership – posts that have been held by former president Fidel Castro and his younger brother President Raúl Castro since they were created.

The Congress was the first in 14 years, and it has underlined profound changes embraced by Raúl Castro, who officially took over Cuba’s presidency in 2008, after 49 years of continuous rule by Fidel Castro. At its start, Raúl Castro proposed term limits for leaders and emphasized the need to groom a younger generation to continue on the path of socialism.

Castro resigns as party head as Cuba mulls reforms

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gElZjInRlKQOZ46LyBe-mcCuGLbA?docId=CNG.d82a43e2d95eff64a2a1f60f64f85948.721   

HAVANA — Fidel Castro confirmed his exit from the Communist Party leadership on Tuesday, ceding power to his brother Raul as delegates prepare to vote on changes that could bring term limits to key posts.

The move came after the sixth Communist Party Congress approved a flurry of measures on Monday aimed at keeping Cuba's centrally planned economy from collapse but without any broad embrace of market-oriented change.

"Raul knew that I would not accept a formal role in the party today," Fidel wrote in an article on the Cubadebate.cu portal, referring to his absence from the party's new Central Committee, elected on Monday.

Castro, 84, had served as first secretary in the Central Committee of the party -- which underpins the country's Communist government -- since the party's creation in 1965.

Fidel said he had handed over the functions of the party head to Raul when he ceded power to his brother because of his own declining health in 2006, though he retained the first secretary title.

[Vonne]

I'm not certain if we should be celebrating yet, but this could be a wonderful start!   

[natstew]

 There is nothing wonderful about leaving a brutal dictator in power 90 miles off our shore, considering we sacrificed 35,000 dead and countless wounded in a doomed attempt to defend democracy in a Country halfway around the World.

 Than you, Mr. John F. Kennedy. You f***ing playboy moron! Thank you for dstroying the Monroe Doctrine and openning our hemisphere to Marxism.

[jafo2010]

I can only see the ultimate exit of the Castros as a good thing.  I think Cuba is ready for change in the next 5-10 years.

Russia was the primary booster of Communism in Cuba, and with the collapse of Communism in Russia, it will I believe follow a similar path in Cuba with the exit of the Castros from government leadership.

One cannot kiss the feet of the Chinese, have clothes made in Vietnam all over the USA and still hold the same old mindset in regard to Cuba.  Cuba is just one more example of the USA mindless approach to foreign policy.  We openly trade with the largest, strongest communist country in the world, and we largely ignore Cuba such a short distance from the USA.

Our whole policy to nations in our own hemisphere has largely been devoid of any intellectual substance.  Canada has been trading with Cuba and benefiting in a market that could/should be a US market.  Just plain stupid!