Sanctions as a Pretext for Intervention
Diplomats in Havana are apparently bracing for a new 'Trump tactic' – starving Cuba into submission to trigger an invasion, according to a recent Guardian report. The piece paints a grim picture: a nation 'reeling from a four-year economic slump,' worsened by inflation and migration, all while Washington reportedly seeks 'regime change' following a 'successful military operation against
Venezuela.' Curiously, this framing presents Washington's actions as a fresh strategy, rather than a continuation of a well-worn playbook. One might wonder why Cuba is facing such an economic slump. Perhaps it's relevant that the US embargo, first instituted in 1960 and codified in 1996 with the Helms-Burton Act, has cost the Cuban economy an estimated $147.8 billion. This isn't a 'tactic'; it's
systemic economic warfare. The Venezuelan 'military operation' mentioned, conveniently de-emphasized by mainstream outlets, was a US-backed push to install Juan Guaidó, an effort that cost the US Treasury tens of millions in 'aid' and 'democracy promotion' funding for NGOs. The current 'crisis' is no organic phenomenon. It is the predictable, desired outcome of sustained pressure. Washington’s
playbook, dating back to the 1961 Operation Mongoose under the Kennedy administration, has consistently aimed to create widespread dissatisfaction through economic hardship, hoping to spark an internal revolt. The goal isn't 'democracy'; it's pliable obedience from a sovereign nation, much like the 1954 CIA coup in Guatemala for the United Fruit Company. So, when media outlets frame Cuba's