Many observers portray Raúl Castro, Fidel’s younger brother and designated heir, as a pragmatist – the “practical Castro.” When Cuba’s lavish Soviet subsidies vanished in the early 1990’s, it was Raúl who recognized that the regime’s survival required economic reforms, pressing to allow private agricultural markets to reopen in order to boost food production and stave off possible starvation.
许多观察家都将其胞弟和指定继承人劳尔▪卡斯特罗描述为一个实用主义者—“实用的卡斯特罗”。当古巴慷慨的苏维埃时代补贴在1990年代消失殆尽时，正是劳尔认识到政权的生存需要经济改革。在他的敦促下，私人农业市场重新开放从而促进粮食生产并避免可能发生的饥荒。