"It’s hard for politicians to look past the next election," Council Senior Nonresident Fellow Cécile Shea tells Today, Explained. "But we should also be thinking about what kind of relationship we want with Cuba 15 years from now."
CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Cuba this week as the island faces dire fuel shortages. Council Senior Nonresident Fellow Cécile Shea unpacks what the trip signals about the Trump administration's Cuba strategy.
The United States is squeezing Cuba harder than it has in years, with the island facing its worst energy and humanitarian crisis in a decade. Will this force change or will Trump follow through with his threats to “take the island?" María de los Angeles Torres breaks down current and historical realities.
The global response to Cuba’s worsening humanitarian plight reveals a growing divide over whether limiting access to food and energy is an acceptable form of leverage or if there is a shared international responsibility for humanitarian intervention.
A US oil blockade has brought Cuba to the negotiating table. That gives Washington an “extraordinary opportunity” to influence the island’s trajectory and its relationship with the United States. Will Trump’s power play get in the way?
"It appears that President Trump has decided that he's going to be the president that brings democracy to Cuba," Council Nonresident Senior Fellow Cécile Shea says. "It's a dangerous goal."
In 2022, there were about 170,000 troops stationed outside of the U.S. and its territories, according to the Department of Defense. As of June 2023, there were over 30,000 troops stationed in the Middle East alone, before America expanded its military presence following Hamas' attack on Israel in October.
