America has taken down Venezuela and is taking down Iran. Now another country is in the crosshairs.
Because Marco Rubio signaled a U.S. takeover of this Caribbean nation.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently commented on Cuba’s escalating crisis, emphasizing the need for leadership change amid persistent power failures and public discontent. All original quotes from Rubio remain unchanged.
Cuba’s Deepening Energy and Economic Crisis
Cuba is grappling with severe, widespread blackouts that have left millions in the dark, including a major nationwide grid collapse affecting roughly 10 million people.
These outages stem from aging infrastructure breakdowns—such as issues at key facilities like the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant—combined with fuel shortages after reduced oil deliveries from Venezuela.
The island’s economy, long reliant on external subsidies first from the Soviet Union and later from Venezuela, is now faltering without that support, leading to chronic shortages of basic goods and services.
Growing Unrest and Public Frustration
The prolonged blackouts have fueled widespread protests and instability across the country.
Demonstrators have taken to the streets, with reports of clashes, attempts to set fire to government buildings like Communist Party headquarters, and even incidents involving gunfire.
These actions reflect deep anger over the regime’s inability to deliver essentials like electricity and food, turning everyday hardships into visible expressions of dissent against decades of mismanagement.
Rubio’s Call for Fundamental Change
In remarks at the White House, Rubio tied U.S. policy to the need for political transformation on the island.
“Suffice it to say that the embargo is tied to political change on the island. The law, it’s been codified. And, but the bottom line is their economy doesn’t work. It’s a nonfunctional economy. It’s an economy that has survived.… That thing they have, has survived on subsidies from the Soviet Union and now from Venezuela. They don’t get subsidies anymore. So they’re in a lot of trouble. And the people in charge of them don’t know how to fix it. So they have to get new people in charge.”
He stressed that the current leadership lacks solutions for the systemic failures, pointing to the broader collapse of a system unable to adapt or provide for its citizens after over 60 years in power.
