By Darbara Singh Kahlon–
Cuba is considered the next target of the American corporate imperialist expansionism being carried out under the leadership of U.S. President Donald Trump. The time, circumstances, and the internal fragmentation and weaknesses of international powers are in America’s favor. America wants to re-establish a puppet regime like Fulgencio Batista in Cuba, which was overthrown by revolutionary fighters under the leadership of revolutionary Fidel Castro in 1959, after which a Communist government was established there. With the support of the then Soviet Union of Russia, he seized American businesses and assets. From that very day, Cuba has been like a thorn in America’s heart. It kept plotting daily to kill Fidel Castro or remove him from power. It hatched 600 plots to assassinate him at home and abroad, but failed every time.
During the 1962-63 Missile Crisis confrontation with America, Cuba endured it on its own body when the Soviet Union, under Nikita Khrushchev, came to its aid. The Soviet Union always provided economic, diplomatic, and strategic help to Cuba. After its collapse, Cuba kept sinking deeper into economic crisis.
Power to the Brother:
Due to ill health, Fidel Castro handed over power to his younger brother Raul Castro in 2006. In 2013, at Nelson Mandela’s funeral, Raul Castro met U.S. President Barack Obama. As a result, some ice melted between the two countries, and three years later President Barack Obama visited Cuba. In 2014, President Obama re-established diplomatic relations with Cuba and took steps to end the decades-long blockade and open up travel. But at that time, Marco Rubio, who is now the Foreign Minister in the current Trump administration, strongly opposed these steps. After becoming President in 2017, Donald Trump rolled back Obama’s pro-Cuba measures. On April 19, 2018, Raul Castro resigned as President and handed power to his successor Miguel Díaz-Canel. Even so, America believes that Cuba’s power is still run behind the scenes by the Castro family. In fact, Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua have continuously been in America’s crosshairs. On January 3, 2026, military action was taken in Venezuela and President Maduro and his wife were detained. After that, Cuba was next in line, but Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s involvement of Trump in the Iran war delayed action against Cuba. At the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, Trump announced that America wants to eliminate all criminals from Havana to Panama. In fact, when no nation in the world, including Russia and its major oil customer China, said a word during the U.S. military action in Venezuela, America’s resolve to tighten the noose around Cuba grew stronger.
In 1996, former Cuban President Raul Castro shot down two aircraft of Cuban exiles living in Miami through an aerial operation. They were searching for Cubans settled in the Florida Straits. One civilian and the pilot were killed in this. Raul Castro was the Defense Minister at that time. While paying tribute to those related to Miami, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Castro would have to face charges one day, though he refrained from saying the military would arrest him and bring him in. Meanwhile, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel wrote in a post on X that Cuba shot down the aircraft to defend its country. The American charges prove that America had attacked Cuba. This is a pure political conspiracy with no legal basis. In reality, America is looking for some solid pretext before the international community to attack Cuba.
Currently, Trump’s biggest opponent of Cuba in the Cabinet is Foreign Minister Marco Rubio, who was a Senator from Florida until 2025. He comes from a Cuban immigrant family. He wants to realize the dream of a “Castro-free nation” in Cuba. He has blamed the current leadership for Cuba’s hunger and poverty.
Achievements:
Under left-wing revolutionary rule, Cuba has achieved great milestones in health and education. The whole world knows that whenever a crisis arose in any country, Cuba gave its medical, nursing, and medical services wholeheartedly. It has never been a banana republic or a failed state. Cuban people have been very talented, hardworking, dynamic, and compassionate. Despite America’s economic, diplomatic, and strategic sanctions for years, they have succeeded in maintaining revolutionary spirit.
Current Crisis:
Due to the tightening noose of continuous American blockade around Cuba, its residents are forced to suffer hell. Yet they still show the courage to live and exist as a free nation. What are the facts? The free oil received from Venezuela has stopped. Oil produced domestically is negligible. Electricity is off 22 hours out of 24 each day. Cars, vehicles, and machinery are useless without oil. The economy has collapsed. A chemical engineer with a support qualification gets a pension of 2,000 pesos, which is only 4 U.S. dollars. Many elderly get a monthly pension of barely 10 U.S. dollars, including teachers, doctors, nurses, technicians. Many elders are forced to sell cigarettes or envelopes for 2 cents each in front of bakeries on the streets. Due to unemployment, youth are forced to leave the country. In the last five years, the country’s population has decreased by 1.5 million. The population that was 11.1 million before is now 9.7 million. Despite grinding in the mill of severe economic crisis, the country is still providing a little ration to people at free ration shops.
Meanwhile, on May 28, 2026, at a meeting of Foreign Ministers of the 15-member Caribbean CARICOM organization in Suriname, the pressure of U.S. economic and trade sanctions against Cuba was sharply criticized and solidarity with it was expressed. They call this region a “Zone of Peace.” Angered by this summit, America pressured some Caribbean countries to back out. As a result, Trinidad & Tobago and Guyana announced withdrawal of support for that declaration.
Courage:
Despite all this, look at the amazing courage of Cuban people: they have full faith in Cuba’s government and leadership and hold America responsible for all their suffering. A powerful country stands at their door like the world’s fiercest wolf. Still they remain firm to keep their country free. America is no longer a democratic nation with human values. It has become a dictatorial, corporate, expansionist, bloodthirsty imperialist country that is determined to establish neighboring countries as its colonies through force and intimidation under a new colonial strategy.
Former State Information Commissioner Punjab
