Changes

The estimated number of deaths attributable to the Castro regime varies according to different sources—but not by much.  The number of named, documented victims (with 2 or more sources) established by recent scholarship is 86,000, excluding an estimated minimum<ref>http://www.cubaverdad.net/genocide.htm</ref> of 16,282 deaths in war and combat, for a conservative total of 112,000.<ref>http://cubaarchive.org/home/</ref>  R.J. Rummel, in his book ''Statistics of Democide'' estimates a range of 35-141,000 killed, which may underestimate the full toll by as much as 50%, since it only covers the years 1959-87.<ref>http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/POSTWWII.HTM</ref>  The most comprehensive survey, by Armando Lago, puts the total at 116,730-119,730 killed.<ref>http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/warstat6.htm#Cuba59</ref>  The majority (85,000) of these deaths were caused by drowning; the firing squads account for some 30,000.  Adding combat deaths to his calculations, we arrive at a total of some 136,000 Cubans killed by the Castro regime.  Little effort has been made to calculate boat people deaths in recent years.  Cuban exiles claim that as many as 200,000 have been murdered altogether.<ref>http://www.therealcuba.com/</ref>  The death toll from Cuban interventions abroad can be numbered in the hundreds of thousands.

The estimated number of deaths attributable to the Castro regime varies according to different sources—but not by much.  The number of named, documented victims (with 2 or more sources) established by recent scholarship is 86,000, excluding an estimated minimum<ref>http://www.cubaverdad.net/genocide.htm</ref> of 16,282 deaths in war and combat, for a conservative total of 112,000.<ref>http://cubaarchive.org/home/</ref>  R.J. Rummel, in his book ''Statistics of Democide'' estimates a range of 35-141,000 killed, which may underestimate the full toll by as much as 50%, since it only covers the years 1959-87.<ref>http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/POSTWWII.HTM</ref>  The most comprehensive survey, by Armando Lago, puts the total at 116,730-119,730 killed.<ref>http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/warstat6.htm#Cuba59</ref>  The majority (85,000) of these deaths were caused by drowning; the firing squads account for some 30,000.  Adding combat deaths to his calculations, we arrive at a total of some 136,000 Cubans killed by the Castro regime.  Little effort has been made to calculate boat people deaths in recent years.  Cuban exiles claim that as many as 200,000 have been murdered altogether.<ref>http://www.therealcuba.com/</ref>  The death toll from Cuban interventions abroad can be numbered in the hundreds of thousands.

In August 2006, health problems lead to his appointment of his younger brother, Raul, as temporarily president and head of the Communist Party in Cuba. Political analyst believe that the appointment marks the beginning of a transition designed to maintain Communist control over Cuba after Castro's death<ref>The Washington Post, [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/01/AR2006080100647.html For Castro, a First Step In Calculated Transition ]</ref>. Castro's surgery was scheduled to repair a "sharp intestinal crisis with sustained bleeding." <ref>http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/latin_america/july-dec06/castro_08-01.html</ref>

In August 2006, health problems lead to his appointment of his younger brother, Raul, as temporarily president and head of the Communist Party in Cuba. Political analyst believe that the appointment marks the beginning of a transition designed to maintain Communist control over Cuba after Castro's death<ref>The Washington Post, [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/01/AR2006080100647.html For Castro, a First Step In Calculated Transition ]</ref>. Castro's surgery was scheduled to repair a "sharp intestinal crisis with sustained bleeding." <ref>http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/latin_america/july-dec06/castro_08-01.html</ref>