One week after transferring power to his brother Raúl, Cuban dictator Fidel Castro is still recuperating from surgery to repair intestinal bleeding. Christopher Hitchens is of the opinion that this transfer of power amounts to a soft military coup, but despite any simple comparisons to Poland's former dictator, it seems all but assured that Fidel will be coming back to power if and when he recovers from his mysterious illness.Yet if Fidel dies, what comes next? Would his brother, who is also head of the Cuban armed forces, institute martial law? Would he seek detente with the west? Would Hugo Chavez, having bought his way into Cuba's political system, dictate the terms of succession? Would the US sit idly by in the case of a power vacuum in Cuba? Or will the creaky Soviet style totalitarian relic creak onwards, financed by Venezuelan charity indefinitely?
I just think that "The Raul" would make a lousy sandwich special.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, thank you for a link to detente. I learned something new today.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the hype con Sr. Fidel Castro, I think any transfer of power is going to go just fine.
The American embargo can't be that meaningful if the rest of the world has been engaging with Cuba since the 60s. I think we've been the ones losing out on the culture, personally.
I would love greater ease in the opportunity to study with great Cuban musicians.
It can't be the communism, because we're totally in bed with the Chinese...so what IS it about Cuba that we don't like? Independent brown people? Tropical climate? Baseball players?
What?
Thank you for your continued, excellent analysis.
Hope all is well in Providence.