Charisma-Challenged Raul to Rule with "Force," not Charm

The Wash Times gazes into its post-Castro crystal ball and plausibly suggests that the Fredo Corleone of dictatorial hellholes, Raul Castro, will crack the whip to maintain order in Cuba:

Most of the power in Cuba is concentrated in Fidel and, although Raul recently has been in charge of much of the day-to-day running of the country, his legitimacy still comes from his closeness to his older brother.

"Fidel maintained power through fear and impressive and effective internal repression and through charisma," said Mark Shaheen, a former State Department official who served in Havana from 1998 to 2000 and now works with Civitas Group, a Washington-based security consulting and investment firm….

Can Raul do the same? He can do the scare part, but he certainly cannot do the charisma. So it becomes a question of: Do people stay scared of the state? Is he able to maintain the terror apparatus?" said Mr. Shaheen.

But don't count Fidel out yet, especially after getting the equivalent of a teddy bear and Mylar balloon from everyone's favorite opera theorist and Team America star:

From Pyongyang, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has sent a get-well note to the recovering Cuban leader, the North's Korean Central News Agency said today.

"I sincerely wish you a speedy recovery to your health so that you can excellently continue to carry out the Cuban revolution and the great mandate given to you by the people of Cuba," Mr. Kim said in a telegram to Mr. Castro dated Aug. 2, KCNA said.

Mr. Kim, known as the "Dear Leader" at home, has ruled the North since the 1994 death of his father and the founder of the communist state, Kim Il-sung.

"Raul seen relying on force to rule" here.

God, don't you just hate craptacular countries where power is passed down through families or among brothers?