In the discussion about “the next day in”, – the country is in a state of acute crisis due to the American embargo and the inability to cover its energy needs after the cessation of oil flow from , as a result of the USA, on January 3-, there is one parameter that remains constant: the participation of the Castro family in the governance of the country. Since 1959, when he entered Havana with his “bearded men” as the leader of the socialist revolution, the Castro family has ruled communist Cuba with their fists.
Now that the country is under pressure from the US and its president, Miguel Diaz-Canel, has admitted that he is in talks with Washington about easing the embargo, members of the Castro family are re-emerging in the limelight they never really left.
The question that arises is, whether the next day, there will be in Cuba, a Delsy Rodríguez, the transitional president of Venezuela, former vice president of Maduro, who cooperates with the USA. And if the role of Delsy Rodriguez, a member of the Castro family will take on the role.
Having a reputation as very skilled negotiators, the Castros have proven that they can overcome difficult situations. Cuba is not Venezuela: Venezuela’s political elite was fragmented, into groups with different economic interests, which facilitated the rise of figures such as Delsy Rodriguez, a technocrat who had already promoted reforms. In contrast, the Cuban elite – embodied by the Castro family – is much more cohesive, after decades of purging every political opponent.
Raul Castro, Fidel’s brother who controls power
In 2018, Díaz-Canel was chosen by Raul Castro, Fidel’s brother, who ruled Cuba from 2008 to 2018, to succeed him in power. At the age of 94, Raul Castro is said to remain mentally lucid and still pulling the strings of power. Defense minister for decades, Raul Castro, oversaw the creation of GAESA, a military-controlled business group that is the country’s most important economic force. His children and grandchildren today hold more prominent positions in Cuba, compared to the descendants of Fidel Castro, one of whose grandsons lives a luxurious life in Havana as an influencer.
Grandson Raulito Castro, “The Crab”
Raul Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, 41, grandson of Raul Castro, son of his daughter Deborah, known as Raulito, was a member of his grandfather’s personal guard, but today he is his personal assistant. Raulito, nicknamed “El Cangrejo”, “The Crab” because he was born with six fingers on one hand, also plays the role of mediator in the negotiations with the US Trump administration.
He recently participated in the meeting of Cuban officials with the team of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the Caribbean island of Saint Christopher and Nevis. A behind-the-scenes man, Raulito appeared on state television alongside top regime officials when President Diaz-Canel revealed that talks were underway between Havana and Washington.
Alejandro Espin, Raul’s son
Also in the foreground is Raul Castro’s only son, Alejandro Castro Espin, 60, also known as “one-eyed” because during military training, he accidentally lost one of his eyes. Espin had retired from public life when his father left the presidency.
An engineer educated in Cuba and the Soviet Union, Espin played an important role in the country’s intelligence apparatus. According to the New York Times, he is once again playing a leading role in talks with US officials. In 2014 he led the Cuban side in secret negotiations with the US Obama administration, which led to a short-lived recession in Cuba’s relations with the US.
The great-grandson Castro who does not bear the name Castro
Oscar Perez-Oliva Fraga, 54, is a great-grandson (on his mother’s side) of Raúl and Fidel Castro. The Cubans call him “Owl”, because his eyes are close together, like that particular bird. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, he recently announced one of the most significant policy changes since the 1959 Cuban Revolution: the intention to allow Cuban exiles to own businesses and invest in Cuba.
With this move, Peres-Oliva became the public face of the strategy adopted by the Cuban regime in order to survive. At the same time, this move sparked discussions about whether the great-grandson of the Castros, with his mild character, could be the Cuban version of Delsy Rodriguez, as he is a newer player in the system, more negotiable with the US, capable of moving in the field of international business and responding to Washington’s demands.
Moreover, the fact that he does not bear the last name Castro probably makes him more palatable to the US administration, which prefers the “compliance” of the Cuban regime to its complete collapse. His recent election as a member of the National Assembly is also considered a calculated move, as under Cuban law, only members of the National Assembly can assume the country’s presidency.
However, the possibility of the Castro family remaining in power will deeply disappoint many Cuban exiles who have been fighting, for decades, for the complete removal of the Castros, and the overthrow of the communist regime.
