Are Castro's writings subtle jabs at Raúl?
Cuban leader Fidel Castro has written more than 80 editorials, which
analysts say often contradict the policies of his brother, the acting
president.
Posted on Sun, Feb. 17, 2008
BY FRANCES ROBLES
frobles@MiamiHerald.com
About the time last year that Cuba announced plans to plunge into the
ethanol craze, the ailing Fidel Castro launched a career as a newspaper
columnist.
His first topic: How biofuels made from food starve the world's poor.
Castro later blasted the United States -- just after his brother Raúl
called for a dialogue with Washington. And the day after the government
announced that it would sign some international human rights accords,
Castro wrote a column explaining why as president he never signed such
pacts.
As Cuba's National Assembly approaches a Feb. 24 vote to pick the
island's next president, a vote that could -- at least officially --
sideline the dictator for the first time in decades, his writings have
offered hints of fissures within the leadership that could affect the
country's future.
Ever since he turned over the reins of power to Raúl 19 months ago,
Fidel Castro, 81, has made no public appearances and has taken instead
to writing ''reflections'' on everything from nostalgic memories of the
good old days of the Cuban revolution to world leaders he has met.
But some of his 90-plus articles contain what experts say are subtle
jabs at Raúl's interim administration, casting doubt as to who has the
final say in Cuba these days and whether Raúl really has a free hand to
adopt the economic reforms he has said Cuba desperately needs.
`OUT OF SYNC'
''A lot of times, what Fidel writes is out of sync with what Raúl
says,'' said Daniel Erikson, a Cuba expert at the Inter-American
Dialogue think tank in Washington. ``Raúl will call for good cooperation
with Guantánamo Bay, and the next day Fidel Castro will blast Guantánamo
Bay. Raúl will talk about economic reform, and then Fidel uses fiery
language against that.''
Erikson says it's all logical, given that Fidel Castro remains alive and
that when he surrendered his titles to his brother after intestinal
surgery in 2006, he specifically noted that the transfer of power was
``temporary.''
''The fact of the matter is Raúl's power in Cuba is still on loan from
Fidel,'' Erikson said.
As long as that's the case, he added, you may see a difference in
rhetoric, but not policy.
The two brothers have been a pair for decades, fighting together against
dictator Fulgencio Batista in the 1950s and then dominating Cuba's top
jobs. Fidel was always officially president, while Raúl was always
defense minister and the designated successor to his brother.
But their relations have not always been smooth. When the economy
collapsed in the early 1990s after the end of Soviet subsidies, Raúl
pushed through several open-market economic reforms. But Fidel, who
opposed anything but strict socialist ideals, began to roll back some of
the reforms in the second half of the '90s.
Since Fidel turned over power to his brother in July 2006, Raúl has
talked often about the need for economic changes -- but adopted only
minor ones.
He revamped state media to allow for critical coverage and convened
nationwide town-hall meetings for Cubans to air their gripes -- even as
the elder Castro continued to call for socialist discipline and
selflessness.
''My conclusion is that indeed there is a clash between Fidel and Raúl's
view,'' said Mauricio Font, who heads the Bildner Center for Western
Hemisphere Studies in New York. ``On a couple of points, he kind of
neutralizes Raúl, or tries to slow him down.''
Veteran Castro-watcher Carlos Franqui said the contradictions began even
before Castro got sick, and were most notable when the Cuban leader
publicly talked about grooming a new generation of young leaders. Raúl
is 76.
''Raúl Castro once joked that Fidel spent his time in the hospital
calling everyone but him. That's Raúl's black humor, but he's
recognizing a fact,'' Franqui said by telephone from his home in Puerto
Rico.
''The bottom line is that these reflections are like decrees,'' Franqui
added, noting that to rule Cuba or at least block some of Raúl's
possible reforms, ``Fidel doesn't need a job title.''
ECONOMIC REFORMS
The contradictions could be settled soon, perhaps opening the way for
significant economic reforms that Raúl has talked about approvingly but
which his older brother has continued to criticize.
The newly elected National Assembly will convene Feb. 24 to elect
members of the Council of State and that body's president. The president
is, in effect, the president of Cuba, the title always held by Castro.
Castro has suggested that he is not seeking to hold on to power forever,
and Assembly President Ricardo Alarcón has said Castro might decline the
presidency.
Experts are unsure whether the natural replacement would be Raúl, or
whether the aging defense minister would allow someone younger to get
the title while he continues to wield power through his control of the
armed forces and the Cuban Communist Party.
''I don't think they want to look like they are ignoring Fidel, but they
probably feel they have to,'' said Vicki Huddleston, a former chief of
the U.S. diplomatic mission in Havana. ``They just have to treat it as
if what he says is important. In the meantime, it keeps Raúl from doing
very much.''
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