@ Hossman, I disagree.. I think Cuba in the aftermath of Castro will (perhaps not quickly) undergo the same kind of changes we saw in the former Eastern Bloc of Europe. I think economically, Cuba simply can’t ignore the (relative) success enjoyed by the rest of the Carribean with the American tourist dollar. On a larger scale, Cubans must know how valuable an economic resource they’re standing on, and they would/could EASILY become a major player in industrial market current dominated by Mexican labor . I’ll wager the pull of Ga-Jillions of Dollars, Yen, and Euros flooding into a market that hasn’t been tapped in the last 60-odd years ultimately wins out over the dying strands of an ideology that (let’s face it) just, doesn’t work. To paraphrase P.J. O’Rourke on the end of the cold war- The Iron Curtain didn’t fall fall because of any ideological victory on our part, it fell because they were tired of wearing East German shoes.
Then again, you may be right. I have no idea who’s on the short list of guys waiting to fill Casto’s chair. I’m sure Hugo Chavez has a few ideas.