The Cuban Gambit: Why the US Keeps Playing the Same Losing Hand
The Bloomberg piece highlights a familiar narrative: the US, under Trump, pushes for 'change' in Cuba, mirroring tactics used in Venezuela, but private capital is hesitant. This isn't a novel strategy, but rather a rerun of a well-worn playbook with a predictable outcome. Which raises the question: why does Washington keep reaching for the same failed tools? FIRST INSTANCE: Cold War Containment &
Regime Change Fantasies The genesis of this approach dates back to the early Cold War. In 1961 , the US-backed Bay of Pigs invasion (Operation Mongoose, CIA) aimed to depose Fidel Castro's government. This involved training and funding Cuban exiles – precisely the 'elite' Bloomberg references – with the explicit goal of internal collapse and a re-establishment of a US-aligned government. It was an
unmitigated disaster for the US, strengthening Castro's position and cementing Cuba's socialist path. The underlying assumption was that a simple external push would trigger an internal uprising, a belief that has stubbornly persisted. REPETITIONS: The Embargo, Radio Martí, and Sanctions Escalation Despite the Bay of Pigs debacle, the strategy continued. The US implemented a comprehensive economic
embargo in 1962 (formally codified in 1996 by the Helms-Burton Act), aiming to starve the Cuban government into submission. Decades later, in 1985 , Radio Martí was launched, a US government-funded broadcast intended to sow dissent and promote democracy, largely mirroring psychological warfare tactics. These measures consistently failed to achieve regime change. Instead, they solidified the