[NYTr] Diario Las Americas on "Raul's First Year"

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

Diario Las Americas - Aug 1, 2007
http://www.diariolasamericas.com/news.php?nid=33714

Raúl’s First Year, Although With Fidel

The first year has just gone by with Fidel Castro’s absence from public
view, which means that it has also been a year since he delegated power
on his brother Raúl Castro, who now is in charge. Throughout this year
there has been national and international expectation regarding the
political, administrative, and military life of the Cuban totalitarian
state. Actually, there have been no significant changes in the island.
This does not mean, of course, that inside the government and,
especially, in the relations of this sui generis binomial Fidel/Raúl
there have been no internal problems, but these have not reached the
public, at least up to this writing. Of course, there have been
speculations, many of them with some basis, determined by certain
details and logical deductions of those who more or less know how this
system that has been oppressing the Cuban people for forty-eight years
works.

There are people who believe that Raúl Castro, who bears the title of
Army General and who has been the dictator’s second in command, does
not have the necessary capabilities to be able to take over as the
supreme head of the state after the death of Fidel Castro. They support
this belief with their opinions based on personal experiences with
respect to Raúl. On the other hand, there are those who consider that
he was a full-fledge communist with I.D. before his brother, although
he is the youngest. Furthermore, he was at the Sierra Maestra and took
part in skirmishes and executions which were the foundation to identify
with his brother. Likewise, they consider that during the last
forty-eight years Raúl has acquired experience in leading the armed
forces and the works of the tyrannical government. In addition, they
think that in these forty-eight years a dangerous personality has
formed that, in some way, can face the crisis that would emerge upon
the death of his brother. Anyway, there will be inevitable changes and
it is not easy to predict what their outcome will be.

There can be no doubt that in these forty-eight years very serious
things have taken place against the Cuban people. And no one really
knows what path the tyranny will take after those who now surround
Fidel and Raúl feel freer to act in terms of their ambitions, their
resentments and, summing up, their interests, which are not the best
interests of Cuba.