island nation

The stark reality of Monday’s purge was not solely to streamline government structure for efficiency, but in fact, it was also Army General Raul Castro’s mission to rid himself the remnants of Fidel Castro’s loyalists.

The Commander-in Chief (CINC) of the militarized island nation now exercises complete control of the regime’s levers of power — lock, stock and barrel.

He has supplanted key government posts with past and present members of the single most loyal institution to him – the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR).

These military entrepreneurs (retired and active flag officers) are tied to the politico-economic survivability of the regime — more so now than ever, as their ranks have swelled in a host of strategic positions throughout government.

(For further analysis on the military’s involvement in the Cuban economy, click here to read my research on the subject.)

In large part, thanks to Raul, they will make pivotal decisions forging ahead a path for the island nation.

Throughout Cuban history, the military has played a decisive and instrumental role in politics, immersing itself as an arbiter of power in Havana. Tracing its lineage from the colonial period where a Spanish military governor ruled with an iron fist, to army politics during the 1930s and beyond, the armed forces has heavily shaped destiny for the Cuban populace.

However, what cohesion will the military have once the former maximum leader makes his terrestrial departure?

Will we see the status quo prevail — a military elite that manages state enterprises generating wealth for a chosen few?

Or will mid-level officers simmer with discontent in seeing their superiors bask in monetary perks instead of sharing the grand pi