The Latest Crimes of the U.S. Empire Against Cuba.

By David Starr

 

Fascist Marco Rubio of the Trump regime has been goading Trump to put even more pressure on Cuba. And it has come to pass. Trump initially considered negotiations but has apparently changed his mind due to the prodding of Rubio. 

 

Cuba now has a gross lack of fuel thanks to the blockade of the empire that is over 60 years old. Not only that, but there is a risk of starvation since other countries are told by the empire that they can’t trade with Cuba. The cruelty is unforgivable.

 

Whether this continues, however, is questionable. Already the Trump regime is showing signs of toppling because of its domestic and foreign policies. ICE, Trump’s Gestapo, is feeling the pressure from massive protests that have gone on in Minnesota and elsewhere around the country. Still, ICE thugs want to fulfill quotas imposed by Nazi Stephen Miller, another despicable character of the regime, whereby more arrests, deportations and murder are the priority.

 

Meanwhile, the regime has turned many of the world’s countries against the U.S. empire. And that sounds like a plus, despite the horrendous policies that have had their effect in the United States and worldwide. 

 

And that gets back to Cuba. The U.S. establishment, both Republicans and Democrats, have for decades demonized Cuba because it dared to implement a system that has been contrary to U.S. ultra-national interests: socialism. While there have been a degree of problems with the Cuban system, the main problem has obviously been the U.S. blockade. How else can it be? Putting a blockade on any country, especially a small island nation like Cuba, has obvious effects that can cause major instability.

 

Overall, the empire has not been able to defeat Cuba, one reason being that most of the Cuban population supports the revolution that triumphed in 1959. And they are determined to defend it, despite the hardships. 

 

Tightening the blockade due to the Trump regime’s policies will probably compel Cubans to find alternative means to cope with it. And Cubans know how to do that given six decades of experience with it.

 

But to try and starve a country into submission! On Secular Talk, host Kyle Kulinski was overtly outragedover such a cruel act.

 

The blockade has been called economic warfare, as mentioned in a commentary written by Asiah Quattlebaum and  published in The Tufts Daily. Quattlebaum visited Cuba with the Democratic Socialists of America’s Cuba Solidarity Working Group. Before the visit, Quattlebaum did not have “a full grasp of what economic warfare meant.” 

 

After going there, “everything I thought I knew faded. I saw the reality – ration lines, defiant optimism and a revolution still breathing through struggle. I saw how the U.S. blockade shapes everyday life: empty grocery shelves, shortages of hygiene products, classrooms missing basic materials, and hospitals having to reuse medical supplies.

 

“All of these conditions exist because the U.S. restricts Cuba’s access to global markets. Yet people fight to maintain their universal healthcare, keep education affordable and support one another through neighborhood networks and ration sharing.

 

“One thing is clear: The U.S. blockade must end. We need to rebuild real international solidarity because what is happening in Cuba is not accidental. It is the direct result of U.S. choices and the very basis of U.S. global hegemony. The Cuban people deserve compassion, dignity and sovereignty. They don’t deserve punishment.”

 

Quattlebaum concludes, “Ending the U.S. blockade on Cuba, building real internationalist solidarity, and rejecting the “America First’ mindset are not abstract political ideas. They are material obligations.

 

“Ending the blockade starts with refusing to let the violence of U.S. policy go unchallenged.”

 

Quattlebaum not only brings out the reality of the U.S. blockade, there is also an urging to reestablish international solidarity with the island nation.

 

One organization that’s been consistent with supporting Cuba is Code Pink. Co-founder Medea Benjamin wrote a piece about Cuba’s hardship, and she also mentioned Marco Rubio. In all, Cubans do not have kind words for him…or Trump. Some of the words used to describe Rubio were demon, devil, and a self-serving slimy politician. 

 

Benjamin made an important point regarding how Cubans are coping: “The only way Cubans are surviving this siege is because they help one another. They trade rice for coffee with neighbors. They improvise – no hay, pero se resuelve (We don’t have much, but we make it work). The government provides daily meals for the most vulnerable – the elderly, the disabled, mothers with no income – but each day it becomes harder as the state has less food to distribute and less fuel to cook with.” 

 

In conclusion, Benjamin writes, “In the long sweep of time, endurance outlasts domination.”

 

Code Pink has been an active organization, providing moral and material support worldwide, from Gaza to Cuba. Benjamin and other members have been in the face of U.S. politicians, asking them pertinent questions. Mostly, those politicians try to ignore their questions.

 

Fascists like Rubio and Trump will ultimately fail in their attempts to bring Cuba to its knees. The Cuban people and their leaders will make sure of this, along with their supporters.