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October 7, 2008 11:55:03 PM CDT

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Steely Raúl's Time Is Now

Posted Feb 20, 08 9:37 AM CST in World 

(Newser) – The Castro brothers overthrew a dictatorship and won a revolution together, but while charismatic Fidel was the public face giving passionate seven-hour speeches, steely Raúl quietly got it done—ruthlessly sending dissenters to the firing squad, earning him the nickname "the Prussian." As Fidel fades, writes the Times of London, 76-year-old Raúl will finally step into the spotlight.

The "organizational glue" in his brother's dictatorship, Raúl commands Cuba's military, security services, and Communist Party. He's served as interim leader since July 2006, but without Fidel, one expert says, “Raúl will have to renegotiate an agreement with the Cuban people.” He may introduce a Chinese-style relaxation of economic controls, but one-party rule isn't going anywhere.

Sources Times (UK), Washington Post

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Raul Castro, left, stands next to his brother and then rebel leader Fidel Castro, bottom, and an unidentified fighter, as they operate against dictator Fulgencio Batista from Cuba's eastern mountains...   (Associated Press)
Cuba's acting President Raul Castro sits next to Fidel Castro's empty chair during a session of the National Assembly of Popular Power in Havana, in this Friday, Dec. 28, 2007 file photo. Ailing leader...   (Associated Press)
Cuban President Fidel Castro, left, and his brother, Minister of Defense Raul Castro, attend a Cuban Parliament session in the Palace of Conventions in this July 1, 2004, file photo in Havana, Cuba. ...   (Associated Press)
Cuban President Fidel Castro, left, and his brother Raul, chief of the Cuban armed forces, stand at attention as the bodies of 24 Cubans who died during the U.S. invasion of Granada are removed from an...   (Associated Press)
Cuba's acting President Raul Castro applauds during the opening ceremony of the International Book Fair in Havana, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2008. This year's fair is dedicated to the Spanish region of Galicia....   (Associated Press)
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, left, talks with Cuba's acting President Raul Castro at the Revolution Palace in Havana, Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2008. Lula da Silva is expected to grant Cuba millions...   (Associated Press)
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Cuba  • Fidel Castro  • Raul Castro  • Communism  • dictatorship  • Communist Party  • Cuban Revolution  • interim leader


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