The writing on the wall is unmistakable: President Donald Trump is leading us into another reckless war, this time with Cuba.Since the capture of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, the White House has been tightening the screws on Cuba in the hope that Cuba’s leaders will either capitulate or the Cuban people will rise up and overthrow them.Three months ago, Trump said Cuba "is going to fall pretty soon … they want to make a deal so badly … and we’ll see how that works out."Like the president’s many mistaken predictions, there’s no sign of a deal and Cuba hasn’t fallen.
Instead, the U.S.oil blockade has paralyzed Cuba’s economy and plunged the Cuban people into darkness and misery.
If the tables were turned, we would denounce the blockade as an illegal act of war.On May 20, the Justice Department announced the indictment of former Cuban President Raúl Castro, who is 95 years old, and that same day another U.S.aircraft carrier battle group arrived in the Caribbean Sea.RAÚL CASTRO MAKES FIRST PUBLIC APPEARANCE SINCE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CHARGED HIM WITH MURDERImages of late Cuban President Fidel Castro, former President Raul Castro and current President Miguel Diaz-Canel are displayed on a billboard in Havana, Cuba, on April 12, 2023.
(Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters)Cuba is a bankrupt country about the same size as Virginia that has neither the capacity nor intention to threaten the United States.Even before the Trump administration cut off its oil, Cuba’s economy was barely functioning.
Today, electricity is unavailable across the entire island.Hospitals, schools and factories have ground to a halt.By causing Cuba’s economy to collapse and leaving millions of Cubans without enough food or access to medical care, the White House hopes to create a "national security emergency" to justify regime change, including, if necessary, by using military force.There is plenty of blame to go around for how we got to this point.
Cuba’s leaders, whose priority ...