"Cuba could have become what Las Vegas and Florida are, put together..."

YEAH! Like a suburb of Hell, in other words...

I like Cuba precisely because they did not become what Las Vegas and Florida are, put together.

The right revolution could, indeed, have happened when Fidel went to the USA (visited the U.N. in New York) shortly after his revolution succeeded, expecting to find friendliness and cooperation from the American government. They wouldn't even talk to him. The USA chose from the beginning to embargo Cuba and turn it into a pariah in the western hemisphere. They could have chosen otherwise, and had a friend and a regional ally in Castro. Their choice drove Cuba straight into the arms of the Soviets. They chose that way because the Mafia and some big American companies were mad at Castro for kicking them out of Cuba...which was something he did on behalf OF most ordinary Cubans...but not on behalf of the richer Cubans who were already profiting from working with the Mafia and the big American companies.

So as usual, it was really all about money. Castro became a pariah because he threatened somebody's profits, and that somebody pulled the usual political strings and got Cuba into the Cold War. It's always about money.