All of Raul's Men

should Fidel not pull through and return to his active dictator role, Raul Castro will step forward and try to keep things going. by all accounts, he's an efficient (some say ruthless) manager. even Fidel has acknowledged that Raul is the best organizer he knows.

unlike Fidel, Raul takes care of his men. over the years, Fidel has chewed up and spit out his best commanders, aides, confidantes, and proteges.

Not so Raul. Raul is known for nurturing and looking after his best people. in exchange, he has the loyalty of military men in key government positions.

the key names to look for are:




Julio Casas Regueiro, Raul's second in command and confidant, oversees the Defense Ministry's Business Administration Group, the military's economic enterprise which runs approximately 60% of Cuba's tourism operations.




Juan Almeida Bosque played a historic military role in the revolution's early years; he has been one of five Vice-Presidents of the State Council (Cuba's de facto ruling body) for quite some time.



Jose Ramon Fernandez, played a leading role during the U.S.-backed invasion of the Bay of Pigs in 1961. He's held a number of key positions, and is currently a Vice President of the Council of Ministers and President of the Cuban Olympic Committee.





Abelardo Colome Ibarra, oversees the island's vast domestic security and intelligence apparatus as Minister of the Interior. Ostensibly, he is the third most powerful man in Cuba. Because of political realities (and a feud won by Raul's Armed Forces against the Ministry of the Interior in the 1990's), he is powerful, but not a kingmaker. He is a Vice President of the State Council as well.




Ulises Rosales del Toro, controls Cuba's economically important production of cane for export. Once Cuba's primary source of income, sugar has been supplanted by tourism and remittances from abroad as the main moneymakers. He is a long-time military man.