Redstate

In 1958, the year before Fidel Castro came to power in a revolution and promised prosperity, democracy and the restoration of Cuba's 1940 constitution, the Caribbean island, while troubled by poverty, a corrupt dictator and the American Mafia, was also better off than most developing nations.

While poor compared to the United States, Cuba in 1958 had a per capita GDP of $3,170 according to the OECD. (Canada's was $8,947.). But Cuba outranked all other Latin American countries except four: Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Tellingly, in 1958, the island nation's per person wealth was higher than any East Asian country or colony, save Japan, which barely beat Cuba at only $3,290. Hong Kong had a per capita GDP of $2,924, Singapore's was $2,294, the Philippines' was $1,447, Taiwan's per person GDP stood at $1,387 and South Korea's was $1,112.

Thus in 1958, Cuba was almost as rich as Japan, one and half times as wealthy as Singapore, richer than Hong Kong, and three times as prosperous as South Korea.

Fifty years later, Cuba is one of the poorest countries in Latin America.

With elections only eight days away, President Mugabe looks like being overwhelmed by a wave of support for the opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai as the 84-year-old leader's grip on power falters.

Mr Tsvangirai's formidable backing in Zimbabwe's urban areas has been consolidated since the election campaign began five weeks ago and now, after a series of forays into the poverty-stricken rural areas where the ruling Zanu (PF) party has hitherto held control, it is clear that Mr Mugabe has a fight on his hands there, too.

On Wednesday Mr Tsvangirai pushed into Mashonaland West, Mr Mugabe's home province, to draw mostly large crowds of exultant peasants responding to his chant of chinja! - Shona for change - in a region where until very recently it would have been almost impossible for his faction of the Movement for Democratic Change to campaign.

In the small farming town of Karoi, 124 miles (200km) north of Harare, at least 8,000 people filled the local rugby ground to give the 56-year-old former national labour movement leader an ecstatic welcome, singing handidzokera shure (no going back) and waving red plastic cards to signify Mr Mugabe's "sending off".

With his popularity being eroded by food shortages, soaring inflation and endemic crime, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez is beating a tactical retreat from his broader socialist agenda to concentrate on fixing policy bungles. But the retreat may only be temporary.

Mr. Chávez, 53, unveiled a major cabinet reshuffle Thursday that appeared designed to elevate quiet problem-solvers into positions heretofore held by ideological stalwarts. For example, Mr. Chávez swapped a vice president given to rousing rhetorical flourishes for a mild-mannered housing minister, one of 13 changes.

The cabinet reorganization was the latest in a series of moves by the leader of this oil-rich nation that signals a retrenchment after his electoral defeat last month, when voters rejected a constitutional referendum to expand the president's powers and allow him to be re-elected indefinitely. Mr. Chávez recently granted amnesty to jailed political opponents and signaled he will ease price controls that are creating food shortages.

The moves reflect a recognition that the populist's policies have created nagging economic and social problems.