By ANITA SNOW
Associated Press

HAVANA - Cuba took over leadership of the Nonaligned Movement on Friday, but with Fidel Castro too sick to promise an appearance, his brother and his friend Hugo Chávez were left to mete out the anti-American invective.

Presiding over the meeting of more than 50 presidents and prime ministers, acting President Raúl Castro said the world today is shaped by irrational American desires for world dominance.

''When there no longer is a Cold War, the United States spends $1 billion a year in weapons and soldiers and it squanders a similar amount in commercial publicity,'' he said. ``To think that a social and economic order that has proven unsustainable could be maintained by force is simply an absurd idea.''

The big question was whether the 80-year-old Castro would be healthy enough to show up for the summit dinner, let alone guide the group during Cuba's three-year chairmanship. The ailing revolutionary leader is under doctors' orders not to preside over the summit, but could still make an appearance, Cuba's foreign minister told the assembly.

Raúl Castro has settled into his new leadership role, giving several speeches calling for unity against U.S. policies. And Chávez, still campaigning for Venezuela to join the U.N. Security Council, has repeatedly asserted himself as the natural heir to Castro, who remains a hero to leftists around the world for supporting their struggles.

''To be radical is not to be insane; it's to go to our roots. Let's go to our roots. Let's be truly radical,'' Chávez told diplomats and leaders from two-thirds of the world's countries. He concluded by chanting ''Patria o Muerte!'' -- ''Fatherland or Death!'' -- a favored Castro rallying cry.

The 118-nation group gave Raúl Castro a round of applause, and Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi expressed satisfaction that the movement ``will once again be in Cuba's very capable hands.''

''Cuba's fight for liberation from imperialism has been a source of inspiration for the world's peoples,'' Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told the assembly.

Fidel Castro temporarily handed power to his 75-year-old brother and a handful of other top officials after emergency intestinal surgery in July. And while Cuban officials praise his recovery and raise expectations of a return to power, Fidel has remained out of sight this week. He's appeared only in photos and video in state media, wearing pajamas while meeting Chávez and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Annan said the world has changed dramatically since Cuba last hosted the movement in Havana 27 years ago, and that developing nations have new responsibilities to promote democracy, protect human rights and develop civil societies.

The Nonaligned Movement was formed during the Cold War to establish a neutral third path in a world divided by the United States and the Soviet Union. It now counts 118 members with the addition of Haiti and St. Kitts this week.