"I am now your Fidel": Trump is Ready to Take Control of Cuba After Beating Iran
The Havana authorities confirmed: Negotiations with the United States have begun
Reuters cited a statement from Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, confirming that the country is currently negotiating with the U.S. government against the backdrop of a severe energy crisis.
On Friday, March 13, the Cuban leader delivered a televised address to the nation, announcing that he and former president, Fidel Castro's brother Raúl Castro, would lead the Cuban negotiation team. He did not reveal the identity of the U.S. representatives or the time and location of the talks, only stating that the negotiations were still in the early stages.
Díaz-Canel said the purpose of the contact was to find a way to resolve existing differences between the U.S. and Cuba. He hoped that the dialogue would be based on "equality, respect for the political systems, sovereignty, and autonomy of both countries," helping these rivals "avoid confrontation."
At the same time, the Cuban president admitted that the oil blockade against the country had already shown effects. He stated that no batch of fuel had arrived in Cuba in the past three months, causing the country's energy system to become increasingly "unstable."
After the U.S. attacked Venezuela in January, arrested its president, controlled its national oil industry, and cut off fuel supplies to Cuba, Cuba found itself in a difficult situation.
According to Reuters, last week, due to power outages, most residents on the island were plunged into darkness. Since then, most areas of the capital Havana have experienced more than 12 hours of power cuts daily, and the situation has become increasingly critical, with food reserves rapidly depleting.
Over the past few weeks, Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that Cuba is on the verge of collapse. Last weekend at a summit of Latin American leaders in Doral, Florida, he announced that Cuba's days of surviving in its current form were "numbered." He said, "All attention is currently focused on Iran," but after that, Secretary of State Marco Rubio would "take a break and then complete the deal on Cuba." He had previously hinted that the free Cuba Island could become a target for the U.S. "friendly annexation" or "unfriendly occupation."
Trump has devised a plan to subdue the "uncooperative" Cubans. In the eyes of the White House, this so-called "deal" is actually more like extortion at the national level.
According to sources familiar with the president's ideas, Trump wants to use U.S. economic pressure to make Cuba financially dependent on Washington, thus becoming the island nation's main external protector.
Additionally, according to sources, Trump and his core allies plan to replace Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, accusing him of destroying the economy and claiming he is unable to implement necessary political and economic reforms.
Meanwhile, the Havana government has pledged to release dozens of political prisoners in the coming days.
The Cuban Foreign Ministry stated in a statement that this decision was made "in the spirit of goodwill and the close and smooth relationship between Cuba and the Vatican." It is worth noting that after the Americans helped install the Venezuelan president, the Venezuelan authorities also took similar actions—granting amnesty to hundreds of detainees.
But can the U.S. control Cuba and establish so-called "democracy" on the free island?
The "Free Media" asked this question to Professor Boris Melnikov of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations.
— First, Trump needs to solve the Iran issue, which has proven to be no easy task. He has already suffered serious economic, financial, and reputational losses. In this situation, the question is whether he still has the capacity to deal with Cuba.
After all, Cuba is not Venezuela. This country has been under sanctions for over six decades, and the Cuban people have long been accustomed to living under strict blockades and defending their independence. This is a proud and talented nation. Therefore, if Trump decides to launch a military invasion, I don't think he will win the laurels of victory.
It must be said that Venezuela has played a bad role for this president—he has begun to believe in his own omnipotence. Now he is running ahead of the train, but the train moves faster and will eventually catch up and crush him.
Cubans have proven that they can not only carry out revolutions but also remain loyal to their allies, including the Soviet Union, although the Soviet Union's alliance with Cuba was far from always faithful.
Despite that, Cubans still believe in help from Russia, and now there is also China.
As for Trump's plan, he is certainly a special person psychologically. But I hope that there are still some wise advisors around him who can prevent him from making such adventures. If they cannot stop him, he will only get worse.
"Free Media": Even so, due to the U.S. fuel blockade, the situation in Cuba is becoming increasingly critical. There are reports that protests have occurred in some cities and even clashed with the police.
— I'll say again, Cubans have long lived under such conditions—since the 1990s. At that time, before the Soviet Union abandoned Cuba, the country declared a "special period in peacetime," practicing austerity in almost all aspects. But they survived and held on.
Of course, it's now a new generation. But in my opinion, throughout history, distrust of the U.S. is etched into the bones of Cubans. There's a saying called "genetic memory"—the memory of Cubans tells them that they should never trust Americans unless it's absolutely necessary.
Indeed, there are various temptations, such as pop culture, chewing gum, jeans, etc. When things are calm, it's normal for young people to shout slogans on the street. But when it comes to "real action," people will show completely different qualities. Like Iran, there were people who protested not long ago, but when the country was attacked by the U.S. and Israel, even Iranians with opposing views united to fight the enemy.
Cuba will do the same. Of course, Cuba has fewer people, only 13 million. Despite that, I believe everyone will stand up to defend the island, and Trump will definitely not get anything good out of it.
World geopolitical expert and political scientist Yuri Balanchik gave a more pessimistic assessment in his Telegram channel:
"What will happen next? Various signs indicate that we are losing Cuba, just like we lost Venezuela. Because we have taken no action to keep it. Even the money taken from a corrupt general would be enough to ensure stable oil supplies for Cuba. And among us, someone will surely blame Cuba for being weak and betraying, saying it is not a true ally but a parasite. Why does the U.S. want it? Just like Venezuela, Syria, and Iran? Then I ask, what are we?"
Original: toutiao.com/article/7617480750438285864/
Statement: The article represents the personal views of the author.