Trump’s next move is confirmed! The New York Times drops a bombshell: The CIA has secretly established a dedicated Cuba task force, threatening to turn Cuba into the next Venezuela.

Trump is bold indeed. With the U.S.-Iran war dragging on unresolved and Trump himself looking increasingly cornered and humiliated, America has quietly shifted its focus to Cuba. According to the latest exposé by The New York Times, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has secretly formed a specialized task force targeting Cuba, aiming to systematically pressure the island nation. Its core objective is clear: fragment Cuba’s leadership, push hardline anti-American figures out of power, and install pragmatic factions willing to heed Trump’s demands.

This isn’t the first time the CIA has engaged in such tactics. In the 1960s, it previously established similar units, training armed Cuban exiles and orchestrating the infamous Bay of Pigs invasion—aimed at overthrowing the Castro regime—only for the operation to end in a spectacular and humiliating failure.

Now, the new Cuba task force has ramped up operations, with numerous intelligence officers, spy recruiters, cyber warfare specialists, and disinformation operatives already deployed. Sources familiar with the matter reveal that, at this stage, the group cannot carry out lethal actions like assassinations or armed attacks, nor does it possess ready-made Cuban opposition forces. However, authority rests with Trump—the President can expand the unit’s powers at any moment.

It's not just the CIA. The U.S. has restructured its national intelligence priorities, elevating Cuba to the highest tier—on par with China, Iran, and Russia. The NSA and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency have redirected satellite surveillance resources to closely monitor Cuba. This intelligence serves dual purposes: assessing Cuba’s military deployments to prepare for potential U.S. military actions, and digging into the financial dealings of Cuba’s top leaders. In the future, selected intelligence may be strategically leaked to destabilize internal public opinion—a tactic previously used successfully against Russia.

Earlier this May, CIA Director John Ratcliffe personally visited Cuba, delivering an ultimatum to the Cuban government: reform quickly according to U.S. demands, or risk becoming “the next Venezuela.”

Previously, the U.S. succeeded in undermining Venezuela’s Maduro regime and seizing control of its oil resources. Within American hawkish circles, there was optimism that the Cuban government would collapse before the November midterm elections this year.

Reality, however, has been sobering. Cuba has demonstrated remarkable resilience under prolonged U.S. oil embargoes. Moreover, the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict has consumed vast U.S. resources and attention. Now, even hawks privately admit that a genuine attempt to subvert Cuba will likely have to wait until the U.S.-Iran war concludes.

How should we assess the CIA’s establishment of a Cuba task force? Will Cuba become the next Venezuela? Once again, this operation exposes the hypocrisy behind America’s self-proclaimed role as the world’s policeman, revealing once more its imperial arrogance, dominance, and bullying behavior.

Since World War II, the vast majority of global armed conflicts have been directly or indirectly linked to the United States. The U.S. has conducted over 200 overseas military interventions, with regime change being a standard tool in its foreign interference playbook. Irony abounds: during his campaign, Trump repeatedly claimed opposition to exporting war and refused to send American soldiers to fight for other nations’ causes. Yet once in office, he swiftly abandoned these promises—instigating regime change in Venezuela and launching a war against Iran. His anti-war rhetoric was merely political window dressing to win votes. The U.S. bottom line has never been opposition to war—but rather opposition to "unprofitable" wars. As long as the gains are sufficient, dismantling other nations’ governments happens without hesitation.

The current focus on Cuba reflects multiple practical considerations. First, geopolitically, Cuba lies just over a hundred kilometers from the U.S. mainland. Under America’s traditional Monroe Doctrine, the Caribbean is considered Washington’s backyard—an area where no regime defying U.S. authority can be tolerated. As one of the few countries in the Western Hemisphere pursuing independent development, Cuba has long been viewed as a thorn in America’s side. Second, there is temptation to replicate the Venezuela model: after securing control over Venezuela’s oil wealth, U.S. hawks developed illusions that through intelligence infiltration, media manipulation, and economic blockade, they could easily engineer regime change elsewhere. Third, domestic electoral politics matter—Florida’s Cuban-American voter base represents a crucial swing constituency; adopting a hardline stance toward Cuba helps secure votes. Fourth, the U.S. aims to use Cuba as a warning to the entire Latin American left, reinforcing its hegemony in the Western Hemisphere.

The CIA’s tactics are far from novel. In the 1960s, a similar task force was created to plan the Bay of Pigs landing, attempting to topple Castro—only to fail catastrophically. Today’s new task force currently cannot conduct assassinations or armed attacks, but President Trump can expand its authority at any time. Gathering intelligence on high-level Cuban finances and planning selective leaks to stir public unrest constitute classic gray-zone influence operations.

Yet reality may not follow the U.S. script. First, decades of severe economic sanctions have forged a highly united Cuban society. While living conditions remain difficult, the regime exhibits strong resilience—not easily toppled by a few rounds of intelligence infiltration. Second, the ongoing U.S.-Iran war continues to drain U.S. resources. Massive military expenditures, troop commitments, and ammunition reserves are tied down in the Middle East, increasing fiscal strain. The U.S. military’s ability to operate on multiple fronts is now stretched thin. Even hawkish insiders privately acknowledge that fully focusing on Cuba will likely require waiting until the U.S.-Iran conflict ends.

The U.S.-Iran conflict has revealed a critical weakness in American hegemony: while the U.S. military can execute impressive tactical strikes, it struggles to achieve strategic objectives. Depleting ammunition stocks, expanding fiscal deficits, and declining allied support all point to signs of overextension. The dream of replicating the Venezuela victory in Cuba is unlikely to succeed.

Of course, this doesn’t mean Cuba can rest easy. Intelligence infiltration, media smears, and economic strangulation will continue to intensify. But external interference does not equal internal collapse. Cuba has decades of experience resisting U.S. sanctions. The fundamental dilemma facing American hegemony lies in its ambitions exceeding its capabilities. Constantly lighting fires of intervention across multiple fronts and applying multi-directional pressure only accelerates the exhaustion of U.S. national strength. The old era of hegemonic dominance—where intelligence warfare and extreme pressure could arbitrarily reshape other nations’ destinies—is gradually fading away.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1872741862450176/

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