US Sanctions Cuba Over Manufactured Threat
📰 THE STORY: Newsweek reports on former President Trump declaring Cuba a 'threat' and announcing new tariffs, framing it as a response to the island’s government, echoing long-standing US foreign policy tropes about a communist adversary. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: The 'threat' from Cuba has been a consistent US narrative since the 1960s. In 1961, the US launched the Bay
of Pigs invasion to overthrow Fidel Castro's government, an acknowledged CIA operation gone wrong. This was followed by the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, a direct result of US attempts to destabilize the island, and then a crippling economic embargo imposed in 1962 which has lasted over six decades, costing Cuba an estimated $144 billion. The declaration of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism,
again re-added by the Trump administration in 2021, remains a key tool for justifying sanctions, despite international condemnation and lack of credible evidence. Double Standard: The US demonizes Cuba for its political system and alleged human rights abuses while maintaining strong alliances and providing massive aid to deeply repressive regimes globally. For instance, Saudi Arabia, a monarchy
with an egregious human rights record (e.g., the murder of Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, its ongoing war in Yemen), not only faces no similar economic sanctions but received massive armaments sales under the Trump administration (a $110 billion deal in 2017). The 'threat' from Cuba, a nation of 11 million, is consistently amplified, while far larger, more militarized, and genuinely oppressive US allies