As Donald Trump was threatening yesterday that he would “take Cuba,” the country’s power grid was collapsing, triggering a nationwide blackout across the island of more than 10 million people, amid intense pressure exerted by the United States on the Caribbean state.
“I believe I will have the honor of ‘taking’ Cuba,” Trump said specifically to reporters. When asked whether this would be through diplomacy or military action, he replied: “Taking Cuba in some form … whether I free it, take it, I think I can do anything I want with it, if you want to know the truth. They’re a very weakened nation right now.”
Power outages are a frequent occurrence in Cuba, but they have become more common after the U.S. halted oil shipments from Venezuela, previously its main supplier (around 35,000 barrels per day), and threatened high tariffs on any other country that sends oil.
Following the capture of Nicolás Maduro in January, Trump has repeatedly suggested that Cuba could be the next country targeted for intervention.
His effort to “strangle” the country by depriving it of energy — a measure that adds to the decades-long U.S. embargo on most trade — appears to be having an effect: President Miguel Díaz-Canel said on Friday that no fuel has reached the country for three months.
At the same time, Cuba is facing a wave of protests due to U.S. pressure and public frustration over the recurring blackouts. Demonstrations have been particularly intense in the city of Morón, where videos circulating on social media show people throwing stones at Communist Party offices.
Source: The Washington Post, BBC
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