The Other Castro Stamps His Heel

摘要

It has taken a while for Cuba's president, Raul Castro, to settle into the seat his brother occupied for almost 50 years. But this week he put his own stamp on the government, making the biggest changes since Fidel Castro was struck down by illness in 2006. Two long-serving senior figures-Felipe Perez Roque, the foreign minister, and Carlos Lage, the cabinet secretary-lost their ministerial jobs. Other officials were shuffled and ministries were merged.rnDeciphering the internal machinations of Cuba's communist regime is somewhat comparable to the Kremlinology that went on before the fall of the Soviet Union. Adding to the mystery was the way the announcement was made: a brief item after the weather and sport on state television's midday news. The regime plays down political news to maintain an image of continuity following Fidel's retirement.