US claims of Cuba’s ‘unique threat’ jar with reality of hunger and blackouts
A new US State Department report labels Cuba a 'unique threat' to American security, blaming the country for various domestic political upheavals. The report's claims contrast sharply with the reality of severe economic hardship, food shortages, and frequent blackouts currently facing the Cuban population.
Why it matters
The report signals a hardening of US-Cuba relations and highlights the disconnect between geopolitical rhetoric and the humanitarian situation on the ground.
Uncollected rubbish during a blackout in Havana this month. The country has been under a US oil blockade since January./Getty Images Uncollected rubbish during a blackout in Havana this month. The country has been under a US oil blockade since January./Getty Images Cuba Analysis US claims of Cuba’s ‘unique threat’ jar with reality of hunger and blackouts Ruaridh Nicoll in Havana State department’s 100-page report is latest push in Trump administration campaign to bring down government
The US government’s latest allegations that Cuba is behind “many of the most significant upheavals in recent American political history” and that its leaders pose “a unique threat to American homeland security” have come as startling revelations to those living under the six-month-long US oil blockade in Havana, where desperate people search through piles of uncollected rubbish for food, or else swelter at home in 24-hour-plus blackouts.
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