Since Maduro was removed from power, Trump is fully onboard with removing the Cuban leadership. But at what cost?
By: Michael Levitas
At the beginning of the New Year, America launched a complete invasion of Venezuela, arresting the former head of government and bringing him to the USA. This invasion led to a huge outcry for being a blatant violation of international law. A leader of a nation cannot just decide to arrest another sitting president.
The invasion signaled a shift that we are transitioning to a multipolar world, where great powers seek to dominate their hemispheres. Trump immediately followed through with a threat to invade other Latin American countries, putting everyone on edge. The occupation of Venezuela meant seizing control of its massive oil reserves; this launched sirens all over regarding Cuba.
To put it simply, the Cuban government has long been an enemy of the United States due to the Cold War tensions and geopolitical concerns. In the mid-twentieth century, a socialist revolution led by Fidel Castro and others occurred in Cuba, which overthrew the previous government and establlished a Marxist-Leninist government. Cuba nationalized all the major industries owned and controlled by foreign investors, especially the United States, and aligned itself with the Soviet Union. To slow the spread of communism and to weaken the newly formed government, the US applied swift and severe sanctions. All trade, travel, and financial transactions were restricted. Cuba lost its major trading partner and was left isolated economically and politically.
The sanctions put on Cuba have morphed and changed, with exemptions and new restrictions constantly being added. Cuba survived the first few decades under sanctions due to support and trade from the Soviet Union. In exchange for oil, machinery, and fertilizers, the Soviet Union received sugar at below-market-rate prices. This state of dependency continued until the 1990s, with the Soviet Union collapsing. Since then, Cuba has been consistently in a precarious state with trade and its GDP falling precipitously. The state has experienced constant blackouts and shortages of food, medicine, and fuel. Venezuela under Hugo Chavez in the 2000s to now has stepped in to alleviate some of the pain by providing discounts, but it clearly has not been enough.
Now Cuba’s main supplier of fuel is being restricted by the United States; other countries are also restricted from selling fuel without facing tariffs from the USA.Under sanctions, ships are barred from loading and unloading cargo in U.S. ports for 180 days after delivering cargo to Cuba. US laws also force Cuba to deal with higher shipping costs and long delays in order to import essentials and food from other countries other than the USA. Lack of access to international credit and hard currency due to US sanctions, alongside government corruption, makes it very difficult for the government to import essential things. Cuba has to spend 30% more on shipping. Cuba being barred from the US financial system results in international banks being hesitant to process the peso, fearing reprisal from the United States.
These new restrictions, combined with decades-old sanctions, mean that Cuba has a limited supply of fuel left and will be unlikely to be able to import more. This will cause more widespread blackouts, disruptions to water systems, paralysis of transportation, and reduced capacity for food preservation and distribution.
Many Republicans and the Cuban diaspora have come out in favor of strangling Cuba due to their belief that it will bring about the collapse of Cuba’s left-wing government. Many in the Cuban diaspora have rallied against the government for years, labeling it as an authoritarian force that has brought misery to the island, suppressed dissent and freedom of speech, and robbed them of their property. Many leftists, on the other hand, have stated that Cuba is a beacon of anti-imperialism, progressive values, and self-sufficiency. Cuba exports more doctors and medical professionals per capita than many other countries to handle crises, medical emergencies, and natural disasters. After the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, Fidel and his government treated around 20,000 children from Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia completely free of charge. Cuba also sent troops and financial aid to Angola to weaken the apartheid-led government of South Africa, which many describe as one of the most selfless acts committed by a government. Nelson Mandela, a longtime anti-apartheid activist and the first Black president of South Africa, visited Cuba first among all other countries after being released from prison.
The United Nations has also condemned the complete blockade of oil to Cuba as an act of collective punishment, which is a violation of international law. However you feel about Cuba’s history and its situation, Cuba must have the authority to decide its own fate, whether politically or economically.
