Raul Castro officially replaced his brother, Fidel, as president in February which gave many Americans, especially Cuban-Americans cause for optimism that maybe now Cuba will begin to return to a more friendly, democratic country.

However it seems that Raul is no pushover and may not be so quick to reconcile with the United States….at least not while Fidel is alive,

Raul Castro marked the 50th anniversary of the Cuban revolution Thursday with a warning that America will continue attempts to topple the communist regime and made no mention of a dialogue with the United States.

Instead, he said the revolution’s anniversary was twice as sweet because it came "despite the unhealthy and vindictive hatred of the powerful neighbor."

Wearing his olive-green uniform, the longtime defense minister warned that the island’s future leaders must "never be misled by the enemy’s siren songs and be aware that … the enemy will never cease to be aggressive, treacherous and dominant."

Calls have been rising on both sides of the Florida Straits for U.S. president-elect Barack Obama, who takes office this month, to remove travel barriers and work toward restoring relations with Cuba.

The festivities also mark a time of transition for this island nation of 11.3 million people. The young, bearded rebels that Fidel Castro led to victory in 1959 are now old men, and many of them surrounded Raul Castro as he spoke in the same small square where his brother proclaimed victory half a century ago.

The enduring public absence of Fidel Castro, 82, who has not been seen publicly in more than two years, gave the occasion a somber air.

Many younger Cubans — about 70 percent of the population was born after the revolution — lack the revolutionary fervor of the older generations. While many of them remain as  loyal to the Castros as their parents, they yearn for change.

Anniversary events in Santiago, Cuba’s second-largest city, were toned down after three hurricanes caused $10 billion in damage.

About 3,000 invited guests, mostly party members and provincial officials, sat in plastic chairs in the quaint square, which was adorned with Cuban flags and towering banners. Black-and-white video images of Fidel Castro and the heady first days after the triumph of the revolution were shown on giant TV screens.

Shouts of "Viva Fidel! Viva Raul!" rose in the cool evening air.

"It is an honor to be here," said Felix Rodriguez, 57, an agricultural engineer from Santiago, his eyes moistening with tears. "This is where it all started. And we’re still here."

Over the decades, Cuba has survived a CIA-backed invasion by Cuban exiles at the Bay of Pigs, a nuclear showdown with America over the installation of Soviet missiles on the island, repeated U.S.-backed assassination attempts against Fidel Castro, a number of migration crises and the longstanding American trade embargo.

But perhaps the revolution’s most notable accomplishment was surviving the Soviet Union’s dissolution in the early 1990s, an event that plunged Cuba into crisis, with widespread food shortages.

Raul Castro vowed to extend his brother’s revolution and said the global financial crisis meant that Cuba faced difficult times.

"The current disturbances in the world tells us that the coming years will not be easier," he said. "This is the truth. I am not saying this to scare anyone."

AROUND the BLOGOSPHERE:

Castro: Cuba revolution will last another 50 years - Salon.com - Jan 1st, 2009 | SANTIAGO, Cuba — President Raul Castro predicted Cuba’s revolution will survive another half-century as the communist government marked the 50th anniversary of its triumph amid fears of economic hardship following three …

YouTube - Castros Cuba Turns 50 - Defying the skeptics, Fidel Castros Cuban Revolution is now celebrating its 50th year in power. CBS News Portia Siegelbaum reports from Havana.

NewsDaily: Raul Castro says hopes too high for Obama - US President-elect Barack Obama appears to be an honest and sincere man, but his election has awakened "excessive hopes" that the United States will change, Cuban President Raul Castro said in a television interview broadcast on Friday.

The Blog of Walker: After 50 Years of Castro’s Cuba, Will the Cold … - Washington and Miami’s Cuban exiles can say they kept the U.S. trade embargo against Havana intact. Yet they failed to dislodge Fidel Castro and his government and instead succeeded in alienating the entire hemisphere. Congratulations! …