The end of an era?

One would have thought that the Americans had enough on their plates. But The New York Times reports:

"Cuba was wrapped in uncertainty on Tuesday, as the Communist government released a statement suggesting that its longtime ruler, Fidel Castro, had survived intestinal surgery but giving few details of his condition.
After a long day of speculation and rumor, an announcer on state-run television and radio said he had spoken to Mr. Castro and read a statement that he said had been written by the Cuban leader, who will be 80 on Aug. 13. In the statement, Mr. Castro said that his condition was stable but that the full extent of his illness would not be known for several days...

Sean McCormack, a State Department spokesman, made it clear on Tuesday that the United States would take an active role in shaping events on the island if the Cuban leader dies. “The United States and the American people will do everything that we can to stand by the Cuban people in their aspirations for a democracy,” he said.
President Bush said Monday, before Mr. Castro’s illness was announced, that the United States policy would be to undermine Raúl Castro’s rise to power. “We are actively working for change in Cuba,” he said, “not simply waiting for change.”

I suppose that i should not be surprised by the USA's willingness to admit openly to interference in the domestic affairs of a foreign country. While Cuba is far from being the promised socialist land, I fear that too many interests in the USA want to turn Cuba into the Las Vegas of the Caribbean.

Many years ago, I spent three weeks travelling in Cuba. It is hardly a sound basis on which to judge an entire country, but I liked the place and the people.