Castro embodied the weakness of strongmen

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

My column on the passing of Fidel Castro.

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.