[Poser]

"I have never heard of an instance in a Communist state where the leader [read absolute dictator] formally and publicly passed the reins of power to someone else while he underwent an operation. Have you?"

Dictator, expecting to die, passes off to his brother... Perfectly plausible. When I start hearing about possible opponents to Raul disappearing, I'll give the conspiracy theories more credence. Are there any others on the horizon?

[kabar]

Dictator, expecting to die, passes off to his brother... Perfectly plausible. When I start hearing about possible opponents to Raul disappearing, I'll give the conspiracy theories more credence. Are there any others on the horizon?

Or brother of dead dictator concocts story to assume power and avoid being a victim of a coup.