Castro embodied the weakness of strongmen

A column I wrote overnight on the passing of Fidel Castro http://reut.rs/2ggbFbm

The charismatic Cuban leader resembled other paternalistic caudillos of right and left in his outsized ego, which ultimately stymied his people. Cubans, like other Latin Americans, need institutions more than saviors like Fidel. Venezuela’s leaders are another example.

(Photo: Havana, outside the U.S. Interests Section of the Swiss Embassy, 1998.)