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 For many Cubans, the restoration of diplomatic relations and
President Barack Obama's promise to dismantle economic sanctions
against the communist-run island have raised hopes of a more
prosperous future.
Just as important, in exchange for one American prisoner and dozens
of little-known Cubans, Castro won the freedom of three Cuban spies
widely exalted at home as heroes who were wrongly imprisoned in the
United States for 16 years.
The deal with Obama this week has triggered marches of support in
the capital Havana. More and more, demonstrators chant "Viva Raul!",
a significant change in a country long dominated by the outsized
personality of his older brother, Fidel Castro.
Meanwhile, Fidel Castro has not been seen or heard from, secluded in
retirement at his Havana villa.
Raul Castro, 83, took over as president from an ailing Fidel in 2008
and while he has pushed through a raft of market-style economic
reforms, he has until now been a low-key leader, clearly lacking his
brother's charisma.
 But now, more Cubans appreciate his new brand of leadership.
"Raul Castro is doing things that Cuba needs. A lot of people didn't
believe in him, but his work is on display. He is changing the
country quietly, without speeches, and without bragging about it,"
said Jose Fernandez, a 55-year-old math teacher as he waited for a
bus to work on Friday.
With Fidel Castro in retirement and rarely seen, any increase in
Raul's popularity helps legitimize communist rule as Cubans adjust
to his economic reforms and now a new relationship with the United
States.
Reinaldo Haten, a 45-year-old Havana real estate agent, said the
president is making his own mark on Cuba and changing it for the
better."I thank Raul, because he is making history. With all that he
has done in less than five years of his government, he has made a
huge change in society," said Haten, who was looking for home buyers
at an informal outdoor real estate market in Havana.
UNDERESTIMATED
One expert who has followed the Castro brothers for decades said
Raul Castro has always been underestimated and that he maintains "a
very firm, controlling grip" on the country.
"He's always been a very, very powerful figure," said Brian Latell,
a former CIA analyst. "He was Fidel’s most essential and
indispensable ally. I don’t think Fidel would have lasted as long as
he did without Raul."
The younger Castro spent his entire childhood and 50 years of public
life as an adult eclipsed by Fidel, the older brother he adored and
obeyed. In the revolution that brought Fidel to power in 1959, Raul
played a crucial role in turning the upstart rebels into an
organized fighting force.
 While Fidel Castro was the grandiose front man rallying Cubans to
support the revolution and defy the United States, Raul Castro was
his loyal defense minister, building a strong military.
Together they survived the U.S.-backed Bay of Pigs invasion, sent
Cuban troops to Cold War battlegrounds in Africa and weathered the
economic embargo and countless U.S. efforts to force them from
power.
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To their enemies, the Castro brothers will always be seen as
partners who stole power and repressed the population, but they
maintained significant popular support inside Cuba.
When Fidel Castro became sick in the summer of 2006 with an
intestinal disorder, he handed power provisionally to Raul. The
transfer became definitive in February 2008. Raul proved himself
more steady, organized and businesslike than the mercurial Fidel.
Many Cubans presume Raul consults with his brother on major
decisions but Fidel's precise role is unknown. He occasionally
writes a newspaper column or receives foreign dignitaries.
This week, it has been Raul's show. When he addressed the nation on
Wednesday to announce the deal with Obama, he was in typical form,
speaking without fanfare or hyperbole, calmly reading the statement
in his deliberate, rough-edged baritone.
While the end of hostility between Cuba and the United States has
the greater historic importance, the release of the three Cuban
spies had a huge impact in Cuba.
It culminated a 16-year campaign to win the freedom of five
"anti-terrorist heroes," who had been jailed in the United States
for spying on anti-Castro exiles in Florida.
The other two had already returned home in 2013 and 2014 upon
serving their terms, and the freedom of the final three was met with
jubilation.
U.S. officials say the five were caught red-handed but in Cuba they
were seen as heroes who infiltrated extremist groups at a time when
anti-Castro extremists were bombing hotels in Havana.
 Images of the men returning home, hugging Castro and their relatives
in the airport, have dominated the state-controlled media in a Cuban
feel-good story.
"His popularity has risen since that moment," said Carlos Alzugaray,
a retired Cuban diplomat. "He has been pragmatic, giving Obama the
space he needed to make this happen, allowing Obama to come off in a
good light. He's been very smart about this."
Castro's daughter Mariela, a member of parliament, said on Friday
she was proud of her father. "He's not interested in his place in
history. He just wants Cuba to do well, for our ship to sail."
(Reporting by Daniel Trottta and Rosa Tania Valdés in Havana and
David Adams in Miami; Editing by Kieran Murray)
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