Fidel Castro Steps Aside

Ooo nelly. Castro has "stepped aside."

Well, in his mind he can always sing "I did it my way." The United States never managed to topple him. Rather he will ride in the Cuban sun on his terms.

What now for this gem of an island? More of the same for Cuba? Some think so but there have been some quiet changes on the economic front. As for what this means for American policies in the region it seems unlikely any changes will come with the present administration.

North American relations with Cuba has been quite interesting. While Americans have not been permitted to visit the country and have had a contentious political relationship with Cuba, Canadians have employed a softer stance and made it a popular vacation spot.

I'm not sure what to make of Canada's long standing decision to remain friendly with a totalitarian regime known for its poor human rights record. The idea of befriending Cuba is progressive, if not, noble. But I fear we have not exerted enough pressure on Cuba for its blatant disregard for freedom and human rights.

In this way, I suppose there's a political and cultural component. On one end, Canadian leaders felt it was pointless to make him a pariah. It allowed for the two countries to trade stories about how the U.S. can be a little over bearing at times.

Politically, we did little for the people of Cuba in terms of freeing them from a thug. If we exerted any covert diplomatic pressure it was limited. Sure, we sent food, old discarded DeSoto's and city buses, medicine and other stuff but as a whole what have we - along with Europe - done of any concrete value besides build a few profitable hotels?

Indeed, sometimes I wonder if our relationship is predicated more on economic interests (though not terribly profitable) and less on principled ones.

At the end of the day, only Castro must account for the conditions Cuba finds itself in.

Hopefully the Cuban people will now decide their future. Not some violent dictator who managed to swindle Western leftist intellectuals.