meet the younger boss, same as the older boss

so ... after a year in power and having done very little in the way of real change, King Raul fires two of the most prominent Cuban leaders, changes others around, consolidates some ministries, and basically shows he's in charge. top Cuban government figures falling in disgrace? been there, done that. only the names are different. well, not really (more on that later).

the two biggest leaders to be fired were Carlos Lage (Vice President of the Council of State, a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party, and Executive Secretary of the Council of Ministers) and Felipe Perez Roque (Minister of Foreign Affairs, the youngest member of the Council of State, and the only Council member born after the Cuban Revolution in 1959).

to my surprise, Wayne Smith (probably the most experienced Cuban expert alive) said he was surprised by King Raul's move. ("“He certainly surprised me,” said Mr. Smith, now the director of the Cuba program at the Center for International Policy in Washington. “I’m certainly watching and waiting with interest.”) Source.

surprised? really? this same thing has been done by the Castro Brothers over and over again (Big Brother usually being the active party). Anyone remember the Ochoa trial and the subsequent political bloodbath at the Ministry of the Interior? Or more recently, the firing of the Education Minister, Luis Ignacio Gomez Gutierrez?

the reason for such punishment has always been the same: less than 100% acquiescence with the real power in Cuba: King Fidel (Allegedly Retired).

King Fidel (Allegedly Retired) admits he was consulted prior to the decision, not because of any obligation for anyone to do it, of course, but because that's how true revolutionaries behave (his words). To be a true revolutionary, one must consult King Fidel (even if Allegedly Retired). This obligation, one must conclude, includes King Raul (Recently Crowned). Not to do so is to be a false revolutionary, and thus to be subject to reprisal.

the reprisal follows an old, familiar pattern:

1. summary firing;
2. public disgrace as the fired leader is exposed as corrupt/weak/immoral or all the above
3. quiet acquiescence by the fired leader and admission of guilt

this time it was no different. two of the longest-serving members of the ruling clique were fired. King Fidel (Allegedly Retired) wrote an editorial stating that they had allowed the "honey of power obtained without any sacrifice [to] aw[ake] in them ambitions which led them to play a shameful role." Source. the two men then wrote letters admitting to mistakes and resigning all their posts.

this has been King Fidel (Allegedly Retired)'s playbook for 50 years. and he's still at it.

any attempt to interpret this move solely in light of a move by the Castro brothers to (a) facilitate change in Cuba or (b) facilitate change in Cuba-US relations is missing the big picture. The Castro Brothers brought out their trademark character assassination tools. the reason is simple: fear of internal challenge, whether real or perceived.

so, what led to this? based on the past, the only possible answer is that Lage and Perez Roque fell out of favor with Raul because they must have disagreed with him on a series of issues and voiced their views (most likely regarding the direction of the Cuban Revolution).

less than fully loyal, and potential rivals for power, they had to be sidelined because to fall out of favor with Raul Castro is to fall out of favor with the power behind Raul, the real power in Cuba, and the one who still matters: Fidel Castro.