CounterVortex

Families fear for Cuban prisoners after Trump reneges on deal

The families of Cuban protesters jailed in anti-government demonstrations are waiting anxiously to see if the government will continue with a planned prisoner release after Donald Trump reneged on a deal made by the outgoing Joe Biden.

Activists from the human rights group Justicia 11J believe about 150 prisoners have been released so far of the 553 agreed with the Catholic church. Trump reversed Biden’s decision late on Jan. 20, his first day in office, amid a flurry of executive orders. (The Guardian)

Severe fuel shortage grips Cuba

US actions blocking oil shipments have plunged Cuba into a severe fuel shortage, crippling transport, electricity, and food distribution. The government has imposed emergency fuel-saving measures as supplies of food, fuel, and essential goods dwindle nationwide. Businesses, farms, and markets are struggling to operate, raising fears of a coming humanitarian crisis. Some vulnerable families with underweight children or elderly members have received aid delivered last week by Mexico. (TNH)

Cuba next in Trump regime change drive

President Trump said March 5 that Havana was ready to make a deal and that he was waiting to finish the conflict in Iran before turning his attention to Cuba in “a couple of weeks.” Two days earlier, he had announced, in an interview with Politico, that “Cuba’s going to fall too.” Meanwhile, Cubans living on the island—where a US oil blockade is pushing the country’s chronic humanitarian emergency into a full-blown collapse—are growing fearful of a military intervention. (TNH)

Millions of Cubans were left without power this week after a massive blackout plunged two-thirds of the country—including Havana— into darkness. The blackout highlighted the mounting strain on Cuba’s energy system amid intensifying pressure from the Trump administration. President Miguel Díaz-Canel announced the prospect of major reforms in a speech this week, though details were sparse and his political future looks increasingly uncertain as Washington escalates its campaign against the island. (NACLA Update)

Will Cuba ‘make a deal’ with Trump?

On March 16 another crushing blackout plunged Cuba’s roughly ten million people into darkness. The same day, President Trump told reporters that he believed he would soon have “the honor of taking Cuba,” an ominous declaration that came as the Cuban government continued to announce economic reforms meant to please the Trump administration. There was a bit of good news on the horizon, however: activists with the Nuestra América Convoy have begun to arrive in the island, bringing crucial provisions, solar panels, and solidarity.

The widespread blackout came less than two weeks after large swaths of the island were left without power for days. Though the power grid was slowly brought back online the next day, the situation is untenable—and likely to get worse as the oil embargo continues. Indeed, though Cuba’s economic crisis is complex, its energy crisis largely stems fromcrippling US sanctions that have long prevented the government from replacing its aging infrastructure. As a result of the Trump administration’s oil blockade, no oil has been imported to the island since early January, a catastrophic situation given that more than 80 percent of the country’s electricity depends on it. Though Cubans are resilient, the energy crisis has brought much of society to a standstill: trash is piling up on the streets, public transportation has been reduced, classes have been cancelled or moved online, access to food and clean water has grown more difficult, and medical procedures have been cancelled for tens of thousands.

Pressured by the Trump administration to “make a deal,” the Cuban government has responded by negotiating with the US and announcing a slate of key reforms to gradually open up the state economy to foreign investment. Weeks after instituting changes to allow for the creation of public-private partnerships, the government announced March 16 that Cubans living in the United States would soon be able to invest in the island’s infrastructure, use its banks, and invest in or own companies. The following day, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the reforms were “not dramatic enough,” emphasized that “the embargo is tied to political change,” and made clear that the government needs “new people in charge.” The call for a change in political leadership echoed recent reporting that the Trump administration has made President Miguel Diaz-Canel’s removal from power a key precondition for meaningful negotiations.

However, Trump’s recent comments about “taking Cuba” are a reminder that that negotiation itself could be a ruse to disguise more aggressive action—as was the case with Iran. But the United States has not been the only nation to punish Cuba. Indeed, the Trump administration’s allies have contributed to further isolating the island by targeting its diplomats and embassies, as is the case with Costa Rica and Ecuador, and expelling its medical missions—a move made by Jamaica, Guyana, Honduras, Guatemala, Paraguay, and others.

Though some countries, like Mexico, have stepped up their shipment of humanitarian aidto the island, the region’s collective failure to defend Cuba from the Trump administration’s attacks have led activists from around the world to take matters into their own hands. Chief among these efforts is the Nuestra América Convoy, an international coalition of organizers, healthcare workers, veterans, artists, journalists, student union members, and community activists. The arrival of members of the convoy, modeled in part after the Global Sumud Flotilla that sought to break the Israeli siege on Gaza, was celebrated byPresident Diaz-Canel, who thanked those involved for their solidarity. (NACLA Update)