As Fidel turns 82, apathy, rising prices prevalent in Cuba--but not rebellion.(Reprint)

Raul Castro, whose older brother Fidel celebrated his 82nd birthday on Aug. 11, faces an enormous challenge: Keeping the revolution alive despite a widening generation gap.

Since the Castro brothers swept into power in 1959, many of the original rebels have died. Those still living are in their 70s and 80s.

And the socialist government they built faces a sagging economy, rising food prices and a restless populace--more than 70% of whom were born after the revolution.

"The government educates people, but they don't have good opportunities when they get out of college," said Phil Peters, a Cuba expert who's traveled to the island more than 30 times. "The result is not rebellion. It's immigration."

Some people take a darker view. "The economic situation is terrible," said Oscar Espinosa Chepe, a Havana dissident who once advised Fidel on economic issues. "Neither young people nor anyone else wants to work."

Supporters of the Castro brothers dismiss such talk. Cubans face economic difficulties, but "there are no tanks on the street corners," said Miguel Alvarez, chief adviser to Ricardo Alarcon, president of Cuba's National Assembly. Cuba, he said, is a "stable, tranquil country."

To be sure, the socialist government has surprised many of its critics over the years. It has survived the fall of the Soviet Union and has defied 10 consecutive U.S. presidents.