Raúl Castro no longer holds any official position in Cuba, but the 94-year-old remains one of the island's most consequential figures, wielding decisive influence over the military and high-level negotiations with foreign powers despite his advancing age and physical frailties.
Castro stepped down as president in 2018, ending a 12-year tenure that followed his brother Fidel's illness-forced retirement. Yet Cuban state media continues to refer to him reverentially as "the leader of the Cuban Revolution," a title earned through decades of behind-the-scenes work that often overshadowed his more famous sibling.
For nearly five decades, Castro served as Cuba's defense minister, building the Revolutionary Armed Forces from scratch and orchestrating the military response that repelled the Bay of Pigs invasion. When Fidel declared Cuba communist in 1961, Raúl engineered the organizational machinery of the Cuban Communist Party itself.
His most enduring legacy may be GAESA, the massive military conglomerate he created as defense minister. The sprawling enterprise now controls hotels, retail shops, gas stations and countless other businesses, making it the dominant economic force on the island.
The contrast between the two brothers defines much of Cuba's modern history. While Fidel served as the revolution's charismatic public face, Raúl operated in the shadows, handling logistics and administration. A former CIA analyst described the dynamic plainly: Fidel was "the director, he was the temperamental and creative one. Raúl did all the backstage work."
Physical decline has not diminished Castro's grip on power. He is frail, suffers from poor hearing and speech difficulties, yet still appears at major state functions. He was photographed in his military uniform at an International Workers' Day parade in May, a public reminder of his enduring status.
His longevity has surprised observers. Despite a reputation as a heavy drinker in his younger years, with a particular taste for Soviet vodka during his time studying in Moscow, Castro has aged in ways that defy expectation. His former chief of staff noted this resilience while emphasizing the implications: "The fact remains that as long as he is alive, he will continue to be a decisive factor in the country's trajectory."
Castro's final years in the presidency saw modest economic liberalization. He permitted Cubans to buy and sell homes and vehicles, relaxing some of the state's strictest controls. In 2015, he restored diplomatic relations with the United States, and a year later welcomed President Barack Obama to Havana in a historic thaw.
Yet these openings did not translate into broader political reform. Castro maintained the Communist Party's iron grip on the one-party system and kept the repressive state security apparatus firmly in place. Experts who once viewed him as a potential reformer grew skeptical as the limits of his willingness to change became apparent.
Castro continues to play a hand in secret negotiations between Havana and Washington, according to analysts who track Cuban affairs, ensuring that even without a formal title, his influence shapes the island's most critical relationships.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "Castro's long shadow over Cuba shows how personal power can outlast office, but it also reveals the limits of change when one person's will constrains an entire nation."
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