Castro Goes Down?

I'll be honest, I see alot of potential in the unusual ways. As a for instance, I think that with Cuba's capability of maintaining a dictatorial state but refocusing its development on other things, they could really make a good example of their country. Starting over, as it were, essentially from scratch, would allow them to build infrastructure and business structures that could follow the trends of China and its bizarre stepchild: Hong Kong. The consistency of policy possible with a relatively forward-looking dictator has the potential to bring a country through upheaval with a powerful momentum of change. This is not to say that democracy cannot work, but democracy is such a delicate thing, and is rarely practical in such a scenario. We see this over and over again in countries around the world where the bygone theme of "nation-building" has all but been quietly discarded with the majority of such projects ending in basic failures. Democracy can thrive in a country already rich in infrastructure, education, and resources, but it can be equally doomed in a nation without these things. It may not be a very popular view, but I think that in the long run democracy is an unlikely fit for every country. I think of it alot like religions: one religion isn't for everybody, and never will be. The exceptions will always exist to your cookie-cutter mold and the balance of varied government types provides part of the impetus to make each kind work, almost in defiance of the competing ways.
I suppose in the long run there is no easy answer or solution for the questions you can pose, but in most things in life, a moderate balance of alternatives will usually provide the most successful, realistic solution to a problem.