The Morning Rant: A Deal For Cuba?

The Cuban people have been suffering under the yoke of a particularly brutal communist dictatorship since 1959. They were propped up by the USSR for 30 years, with oil and industrial machinery and weapons (so many weapons!) in return for being a convenient thorn in the side of America, and a fomenter of revolution across the world. After the Soviet Union fell, they had to scramble for oil, and Venezuela stepped up! Shocking nobody with a brain, China also began to strengthen it ties to the Cuban government.

But with the capture of Maduro, and the Venezuelan government increasingly dancing to America's tune, at least with respect to petroleum, Where will Cuba get its oil?

Mexico! And with the permission of the Trump administration, which makes a certain amount of sense. Penalizing the people of Cuba by denying them what little in basic necessities they have is a cruel and unnecessary step without first beginning the process of ending communism in Cuba.

But how to do that?

WSJ: Trump Seeks Cuban Regime Change by End of 2026

"Cuba's rulers are incompetent Marxists who have destroyed their country, and they have had a major setback with the Maduro regime that they are responsible for propping up," a White House official said, adding that Cuba should "make a deal before it's too late."

President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post earlier in the month: "Cuba lived, for many years, on large amounts of OIL and MONEY from Venezuela."

"In return, Cuba provided 'Security Services' for the last two Venezuelan dictators, BUT NOT ANYMORE," he continued. "THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA — ZERO! I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE."

What kind of deal can there be that frees the Cuban people? The communist rulers of Cuba will not go willingly, and they have a comprehensive security and surveillance apparatus that would make the Stasi blush with embarrassment.

Will we demand that the Cuban communist party give up power and then force the government to have free elections? Or we will sponsor an invasion, like we did in 1961? That went well. Actually, it did for American communists. JFK and the Democrat Party supported the communists by withholding air support!

We can strengthen the embargo, push back against Chinese influence, eventually begin to decrease oil imports from Mexico, support dissidents within Cuba (if they dare to speak publicly against the pervasive terror), and what else? Of course we could invade and make short shrift of the Cuban army, but it would be bloody, and we would suffer casualties. Or perhaps decapitation strikes that destroy the leadership?

But Cuba is a special case. Their communism is protected by the geography of the Island. There are no land borders that can be used by smugglers, both of goods, and of arms and ideas. Their communication is controlled quite well by the state, and their army is comparatively well fed and well paid. And they have survived for 67 years just a few miles from the coast of their Great Satan!

The conventional wisdom was that with the softening of America's tone, Cuba's communism would wither, and it would become a soft socialist state. That never happened, and with three generations of indoctrination, the odds are long that it will happen now.

The people of Cuba need our help, but what that help will be is the big question!

[Crossposted at CutJibNewsletter and X/Twitter]. If you folks who are on X/Twitter would follow us it would be much appreciated!

posted by CBD at 11:00 AM

| Access Comments