why is Castro still in power?
545141
A couple of basic reasons:\n1. Cuba, by constitution is allowed one party (Communist), and then Castro is elected by the National Assembly, who are voted in by Cubans.  So, Castro is not voted in directly by the people.  \n\n2.  The state has total control with a large police presence and neighborhood watches that prevent political freedom.  Related, Castro's brother runs the armed forces.\n\nIn the end, the people get a choice, as long as it ends up being for Castro.
1045207
Last night I watched Bill Moyers interview of Salman Rushdie on PBS - first of a new seven part series - and Mr Rushdie addressed this issue.  \n\nHis comment was that people who have never experienced freedom don't know that other avenues are available, and I agree.  \n\nWith the usual total control of the instruments of suppression, the military, secret police, the newspapers and other information media, and the often fatal consequences for disobedience it is probably remarkable that any of these people rebel.  Additionally, keeping body and soul together in most dictatorships doesn't leave time for much else.  \n\nThat mindset take a long time to change.  The Internet should help.  \n\nCuba is a bit different in that Castro replaced a government that was corrupt and his early supporters remembered.  \n\nRemember, too, where the is no free press there isn't much debate.
268810
Colonel Fedil Castro was in the US last year in a UN conference. He wasn't taken to jail because America isn't the police man of the world. He is a Legitimate President of an Independent country and the USA is only one country out of more than 160. \n\nFidel Castro never occupied Iraq, or Vietnam, or South Korea, or Cambodia, or Nicaragua, or Panama, or any where, he's a President that simply stood up and said no to Colonialism of his country and sucking it of its resoueces. \n\nAmerica must stop shouting and screaming at other countries, maybe after the world is spared America's Selfish Interventionalism, we'ld have peace and quiet for a change. \n\nLook at most world conflicts, it's American guns and weapons fighting those wars. \n\nLook at the Zionist theft of Palestinian's land, it's US supported. \n\nEven Saddam was US supported.\n\nHey Hey, Thank God Castro is still there to peacefully protest, if he was silenced, then maybe Cubans wouldn't be so peaceful, just think about it.
315216
We tried to kill Castro in the Bay of Pigs fiasco under the Kennedy administration. At that point in history, he was a threat to the US because Cuba was communist and only lies 90 miles from our door step.  Kennedy's plan in the Bay of Pigs was to land Cuban refugees to kill Castro, but the plan failed miserably because as soon as the refugees land in Cuba, the local Cubans came running up and massacered them.  Thus, part of the answer to your question is that we haven't killed him because his people won't let us kill him.  Also, now we don't really see the need to kill him because he is no longer a threat.  The Soviet Union collapsed so Cuba doesn't have anyone to back it up against the US.  The embargos the US placed on Cuba have held him in check too because Cuba has remained one of the poorest nations in the world due to the fact that it can't trade with the US.  If you go to Cuba, you only see cars from the 1970s and things like band aids are rationed.  The US still maintains a watchful eye on Castro, aka Guantanamo Bay, but the need to take him out has subsided.
274110
Once Castro kicks the bucket, we'll be able to negotiate a deal with his successor...he's still hung up on his Communism kick and won't let go until it's pried from his cold, dead fingers.
39042
Here is a good source to find the answer.\nhttp://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/nsa/cuba_mis_cri/\n\nIt starts with Cuba becoming a Communist country under Castro, who invokes and requests aid from the USSR. The USSR was more than willing to aid Cuba in response to what they had percieved was a threat from the US and Turkey agreeing to deploy missile armed with nuclear weapons in Turkey aimed at the USSR. The USSR and Cuba ageed to have missiles in Cuba and was hurried along by the decisions of the US to try to get rid of Castro through various means, including assasination and the Bay of Pigs invasion.
812807
It is possible to have a benign dictator - someone who has absolute control and uses it (to some extent) to benefit the people he governs.  But it is hard to argue that the government of Cuba is anything else when opposition groups are illegal and there are no observers or NGO oversight during elections.\n\nCastro has done a lot for his country, particularly in terms of education and medicine, but it is sad to see it come with a loss of civil and human rights.  I think it's misleading to look at his actions as entirely good or bad.
1057247
Castro is a communist.\nCastro stole billions in American assets when he took over.\nCastro tried to place nuclear armed missiles 90 miles from our shores\nCastro emptied his prisons and sent the refuse to our shores during the Maribel boat lift\nCastro actively spread communism to Africa and South America\nCastro invaded Grenada\nCastro gave material support to Manuel Noriega\n\nDo I need to go on?
1178070
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (born 13 August 1926) is the current President of Cuba. He held the title of Prime Minister from 1959 [1], after commanding the revolution that overthrew Fulgencio Batista, until 1976 when he became president of the both the Council of State and the Council of Ministers. Castro became first secretary of the Cuban Communist Party in 1965, and led the transformation of Cuba into a one-party socialist republic.
627273
Castro will never die in spirit.\n\nViva la Revollucion!
562833
Fidel Castro; Cuba 47 years in power
795293
Wow, that was a tough read between the caps and the strange punctuation. Anyway, if I accept that power corrupts absolutely, then the solution is to always keep the person in power fresh. That is the idea behind term limits and such. It keeps a person from holding on to power. If you change out the group who is in power with another group every so often you can limit the spread of corruption.
398040
Bush might have fantasies about swooping into Cuba and accomplishing what no other US president in 50 years has been able to accomplish, but right now he has neither the political support nor the financial resources to do it. That doesn't mean he won't do it. He isn't always rational and neither is he always predictable. But it seems unlikely.\n\nThe Report to the President of the Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba is a document the Bush administration wrote to justify being crueler to the citizens of Cuba and meddling more than it already does in Cuban political and social life. It is a document the Bush administration wrote to make it more difficult for Americans to have contact with Cubans and to learn the truth about Cuba. Why Bush wants to do that and why he (like so many of his predecessors) has this relentless obsession with Cuba and its leaders is more a matter for a psychiatrist than a political analyst. It makes no human, political or ethical sense. If Bush has it his way it might happen !!!
891515
After commanding the revolution that overthrew Fulgencio Batista in 1959, he held the title of Prime Minister[1] of Cuba until 1976, when he became president of the Council of State as well as of the Council of Ministers. Castro became First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba in 1965, and led the transformation of Cuba into a one-party socialist republic.
345184
You obviously dont know a whole lot about the situation.  The King took power from the Democracy when the Communists started revolting.  He did it to keep them from seizing power.  He has promised to reinstate democracy when the revolt has been put down.  Instead the Commies have been doing well as of late, and others are joining with them, because they are unhappy that Democracy isnt back yet.  Unfortunately if the King does fall, what you will likely see is the worlds newest Communist government, almost certainly not Democracy.
424325
Yes.  My two cents...  Expect relations to thaw the day Castro passes away (soon).  Everything is set in place for a thaw in relations, however waiting for a new leader would carry far less political risk than forgiving Castro himself.
477484
As long as Cuba is communist the majority of people will live in poverty.  The United States still has some hatred for the Cuban govt. because of the missle crisis.  Cuba also tricked us into believing that they were capitalist.  As long as Cubans complain about Fidel or any one else with a similar regime i dont believe we will help and with out US help Cuba is doomed.  (remember we control most of the world bank)