Who will wear the revolutionary mantle in the post-Castro era?
Many analysts believe President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela will pick up Castro’s banner, but others question whether Mr. Chavez will ever attain the Cuban leader’s international stature. VOA’s Michael Bowman reports from Washington. Until disappearing from public view in 2006, Fidel Castro lambasted the United States at every turn. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a self-proclaimed socialist, does the same. “The hegemonic pretensions of the American empire are placing at risk the very survival of the human species,” Chavez told the UN General Assembly. Hugo Chavez viewed Fidel Castro as a mentor and friend. Campaigning for re-election last year, he dedicated his victory to the man he called “the bearded one.” Cuba expert Wayne Smith of the Center for International Policy says, “Fidel Castro is seen as the revolutionary leader, the historical figure opposed to the United States. It is that which gave Castro his position, his standing, his stature in Latin America. Hugo Chavez, clearly, w
