US Policy Towards Cuba Intensifies
US President Donald Trump made statements regarding the potential acquisition of Cuba. This coincides with a series of concessions by the Cuban government following Trump's January 29 designation of Cuba as a "national emergency" and the imposition of an energy embargo.
Over several weeks, the Cuban government has:
- Announced economic reforms expanding private business and allowing public-private partnerships.
- Invited FBI representatives to the island to investigate an armed incursion.
- Engaged with US corporations and Cuban-American capitalists.
- Confirmed ongoing talks with the Trump administration regarding the fuel blockade and security cooperation.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel denounced US threats, but his administration's actions indicate a shift in policy.
Deputy Prime Minister Oscar Pérez-Oliva stated Cuba is open to commercial relationships with US companies and Cubans residing in the United States.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed Havana's pro-business measures as insufficient, stating they are "not dramatic enough." Reports indicate Trump's team is discussing an "off-ramp" for Díaz-Canel and potential deals on ports, energy, and tourism, which some characterize as a recolonization package.
Broadening US Influence in Latin America
The US approach to Cuba is part of a broader foreign policy under the "Trump corollary" to the Monroe Doctrine, which asserts Washington's right to influence the fate and resources of countries in the hemisphere. This operation has received support from both major US political parties and corporate media.
At the Shield of the Americas summit in Miami, Trump convened leaders from far-right regimes, including Argentina, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Chile, promoting a program focused on militarization, mass repression, and changes to social programs.
Regional Interventions and Actions
Ecuador
The United States is deploying troops and opening FBI and military offices under "Operation Total Extermination." This has reportedly involved the burning of homes, bombing of rural areas, and torture of workers. Colombia reported 27 deaths on its territory from an airstrike launched from Ecuador. Ecuadorian courts suspended the main bourgeois opposition party, Rafael Correa’s Citizens’ Revolution.
Pentagon's Southern Command
The Pentagon is securing basing rights and expanding naval operations across the region, including a bombing campaign that has reportedly killed 157 fishermen accused of drug trafficking.
Other Threats
Trump has threatened military takeovers of the Panama Canal and Greenland, and has called for invasions and bombings of Mexico.
Venezuela
Trump suggested Venezuela could become the 51st US state. The President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were reportedly kidnapped amid a bombing campaign in Caracas, opening the country to intelligence agencies and corporate resource extraction.
Argentina
US Treasury secretary designated Argentina a "centerpiece" of US strategy. President Javier Milei ceded control of the South Atlantic to the Pentagon, enacted labor reforms impacting workers' gains, and defended a past US-backed military dictatorship.
Chile
Trump supported the election of José Antonio Kast, an admirer of the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship, who is implementing economic policies modeled after Milei’s.
Impact of Economic Pressure on Cuba
Following the removal of Venezuelan President Maduro in early 2026, the US cut off Venezuelan oil shipments and threatened other suppliers with tariffs if they exported fuel to Cuba. Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia subsequently halted oil shipments to Cuba.
Cuba's isolation increased as Ecuador expelled Cuban diplomats, Nicaragua curtailed visa-free travel for Cubans, and countries like Guatemala, Honduras, and Jamaica ended medical cooperation deals that provided hard currency.
Cuba's electric grid, relying on aging Soviet-era plants, experienced a nationwide collapse on March 16, plunging the island into darkness. Power was only partially restored after 29 hours. Reports from Matanzas indicate prolonged electricity outages, limited drinking water, and inaccessible cooking gas. A worker reported a relative died due to healthcare system challenges, which include a waiting list of nearly 100,000 "non-urgent" procedures.
Energy analyst Jorge Piñón stated, "I have never seen or studied a country where 100 percent of the fuel disappears."
In response to these conditions, small protests have occurred, including university student sit-ins, working-class neighborhoods banging pots and pans, and riots in Morón where furniture was set ablaze in a Communist Party office.
Geopolitical Interpretations
The US campaign against Cuba is viewed by some as historical retribution against revolutions that challenged US influence.
A January report by the Jamestown Foundation suggested that the fall of Cuba would be perceived globally as proof of other powers' inability to function as an alternative to US influence.
The response of Latin American "pink tide" governments, along with Russia and China, to Cuba's situation has been noted. Some analyses suggest the intensified actions against Cuba and the formation of a counter-revolutionary axis in Latin America may indicate US imperialism's profound weakness rather than strength, tied to the collapse of the post-1945 world order.
It is suggested that opposition to the economic pressure on Cuba must be organized as part of a broader struggle against imperialist war and social counterrevolution. Calls are made for an immediate and unconditional end to the embargo and all sanctions.