Fidel Castro, one of the world's longest tenured leaders, resigned this month. His decision to step down, long anticipated, opens a period of uncertainty for Cuba, but hopes for sweeping change are muted. Mr. Castro's brother Raul was picked to succeed him.
While the younger Castro is thought to be a reformer, there is little chance that he would undo his brother's socialist legacy. Yet Cuba now has more options than before. The world should encourage its new leaders to make the right choices.
Like many revolutionaries, Mr. Fidel Castro came from a wealthy family. His father was an affluent sugar farmer, yet he still took to the hills to lead a ragtag rebel movement that overthrew dictator Fulgencio Batista on Jan. 1, 1959, ushering in an age of socialism that has persisted for nearly five decades.
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