Mexico's 'Sovereign' Choice: Or Sanctions by Other Means?
📰 THE STORY: Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum acknowledged the cancellation of an oil shipment to Cuba, insisting it was a 'sovereign' decision and not a capitulation to US pressure, despite former President Trump's public boasts about cutting off Cuba's oil supply. This move comes as Cuba faces severe fuel shortages and blackouts, with Mexico having been its primary oil supplier since
Venezuela's shipments were blocked by US sanctions. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: This 'sovereign decision' is but the latest chapter in over six decades of relentless US economic warfare against Cuba. The 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion failed, but the economic blockade, implemented under President Kennedy in 1962, has been a constant, insidious assault designed to induce
'hunger, desperation, and overthrow of government,' as detailed in a secret State Department memo from April 1960. The US embargo has cost Cuba an estimated $147.8 billion to date. Double Standard: When sovereign nations like Russia or Iran make 'sovereign' energy deals, they are met with crippling US sanctions and accusations of 'destabilization.' Yet, when a nation like Mexico, heavily dependent
on US trade and investment, makes an economic decision that directly benefits US foreign policy objectives against a rival, it's lauded as a 'sovereign' choice, completely decontextualized from the immense pressure applied by the hegemon to its south. The Guardian itself, in 2019, reported on the Trump administration's threats against companies facilitating oil shipments to Cuba, including