According to a special envoy sent to Havana by Brazilian daily O Globo, but who remains unnamed "for security reasons," the health condition and the whereabouts of Fidel Castro is still a mystery to the Cuban people, one week after authorities announced the Cuban leader had undergone surgery for intestinal bleeding.
The Globo correspondent says that the biggest fear in the island is not a possible invasion by the United States but the possibility of a fierce fight inside the government to grab power .
"It doesn’t matter if Castro comes back or not. What matters is that he won’t last even if he comes back. We knew about that for some time, but his disease brought home, in an irreversible way, the internal power dispute." The comment is attributed by O Globo to a political science professor living in Havana, who asked to not be identified.
According to the professor, everyone in Cuba knows very well that the US is bogged down with problems around the world and that the opposition living in the United States is incapable of confronting the Cuban Army.
"Any attempt to invade Cuba would only unite the country and could even favor Raúl Castro. Everybody knows this, including the Americans," says the anonymous professor.
For another anonymous source, this time, a history professor, Fidel’s brother, Raúl Castro, doesn’t seem strong enough to take over the government. Among those who might try to grab the power are Carlos Lage, the vice-president and the Cuban foreign minister Felipe Pérez Roque. Roque would be in advantage since he is young, popular and has the backing of the military.
Globo cites taxi driver Dalia Dias saying. "Whatever the changes what we wouldn’t tolerate is an invasion by the United States." And Felipe Alvarez, a doctor declares: "If it’s to become just another chaotic poor Caribbean country, I’d rather see Raúl Castro maintain Fidel’s style."
