After Fidel

October 3, 2005
As Fidel Castro continues to show signs of his own mortality, questions about Cuba's future-and America's role in that future-naturally arise. As a longtime Cuba analyst for the CIA, Latell is in a unique position to offer insights into the psyche of Fidel's unquestioned successor: his enigmatic, underestimated brother, Raul, the world's longest-serving defense minister who has always stayed in the shadows, among his own countrymen and in the press. Even in their student days in Havana, Raul failed to impress as Fidel did: "The Jesuits found Raul apathetic and disinterested. After Fidel's intensity and promise, he was a great disappointment ... Lacking in confidence and fearing he could not match his brother's accomplishments, he did not even try." But just because Raul has allowed himself to be a cipher doesn't mean he lacks a certain initiative. Latell describes the many executions carried out by Raul's orders, and sometimes, by his own hand. Yet he also has a sensitive side, and, unlike Fidel, openly enjoys the company of friends and family. Who is the real Raul, and which one will lead a post-Fidel Cuba? Latell argues that the answer is vitally important to US-Cuba relations. Readers looking for a primer on the Cuban Revolution or a meaty biography of Fidel should start elsewhere; this book assumes prior knowledge of the Cuban situation. However, those hungry for a greater understanding of Fidel's character and the complicated relationship between the Castro brothers will find priceless nuggets here.