Cuba in Crisis: American Imperialism’s Latest Victim
U.S. Blockade Crushes Cuba.
Cuba is fighting for its life, and it’s not due to bad governance or natural disaster. The Trump administration is waging economic warfare on the small Caribbean nation with a brutal oil blockade, all to crush its sovereignty. This is American imperialism, plain and simple. We can’t stay silent.
The Blockade: A Weapon of Imperialist Control
The U.S. has punished Cuba for 60 years, all because Cuba’s 1959 revolution toppled the U.S.-backed Batista dictatorship and chose independence over U.S. dominance. In 1961, the U.S. cut ties and failed to invade at the Bay of Pigs. In 1962, it imposed a full economic blockade that still stands. The 1996 Helms-Burton Act forced global isolation by punishing countries that do business with Cuba. A 2015 diplomatic thaw didn’t end the blockade; Trump tightened it in 2017 and escalated again in 2026.
In late January 2026, Trump signed an executive order threatening tariffs on any country selling oil to Cuba, cutting its lifeblood. Cuba relies on imports for 66% of its daily oil; most came from Venezuela, until the U.S. destroyed Venezuela’s oil industry too.
This isn’t about “democracy” or “human rights.” It’s about control. The U.S. wants to destabilize Cuba’s government, force regime change, and warn Latin America: defy us, and we’ll starve your people.
Cuba’s Crisis: Lives on the Line
The oil blockade has plunged Cuba into chaos. By January 2026, oil imports hit zero, the first time in over a decade. Reserves will last just 15-20 days.
Every day, Cubans pay the price: 4-day workweeks, closed schools, suspended buses, shuttered airports (Air Canada canceled flights until May, stranding thousands). Garbage piles up in Havana, hospitals struggle to keep ICUs open, and millions lack clean water (80% of pumps need electricity).
This is intentional. The U.S. wants to make life so unbearable that Cubans turn on their government. It’s collective punishment, and it’s a war crime.
Venezuela: Collateral Damage in the U.S.’s War on Solidarity
Cuba’s crisis is tied to Venezuela’s suffering. For 25 years, Venezuela sent Cuba oil; Cuba sent Venezuela doctors and teachers, a model of South-South solidarity the U.S. hated.
Trump launched a full blockade on Venezuela, bombed it in January 2026, seized its former president, and handed its oil infrastructure to U.S. corporations. Venezuela’s oil exports collapsed. Mexico, a secondary supplier, halted shipments out of fear of U.S. retaliation. Cuba lost its biggest lifeline.
Who’s Standing With Cuba? (And Who’s Not)
The world isn’t entirely silent, but the divide is clear:
China: Cuba’s strongest ally. It’s sent 30,000 tons of rice, connected a solar plant powering 25,000 families, and repeatedly denounces the blockade. Top Chinese officials met with Cuba’s foreign minister in February to pledge more support.
UN & Global Activists: The UN condemns the blockade; Guterres pledged aid. 20,000+ protested in Caracas; Vietnam and progressive parties stand in solidarity.
The Nuestra América Flotilla, a coalition of activists, unions, and humanitarian groups, is sailing to Cuba with food and medicine, defying the blockade to deliver aid directly. Named after José Martí’s essay, it’s a bold stand for Latin American unity against U.S. hegemony.
Russia: Ambiguous at best. It promised oil, then ordered all citizens to evacuate Cuba in mid-February, fearing U.S. retaliation. A stark contrast to China and the flotilla’s courage.
Why This Matters: It’s Not Just Cuba, It’s All of Us
This isn’t a “foreign issue.” American imperialism thrives when we look away. Cuba is the frontline in the fight for sovereignty: the right of every nation to govern itself without U.S. bullying.
U.S. media lies, framing the blockade as “legitimate.” Cuba built a world-class healthcare system despite 60 years of sanctions. It sends doctors worldwide to fight pandemics. It refuses to surrender, and we owe it to them to amplify their story.
Cubans have endured 60 years of hardship without surrendering their independence. They don’t need pity; they need solidarity. American imperialism can be defeated, but only if we stand together.
Cuba is not alone. And neither are we.
More stories you might missed…
Please note how the Democrats have never changed this imperialist policy when they have had the ability.
The blockade exists simply because Marco Rubio and other representatives of the old, corrupt racketeers that catered to rich U.S. gangsters want to bring back the bad old days. Here's hoping that alternative energy sources can be put in place before the blockade ruins a beautiful nation.