Son of Cuban immigrants, the secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubioembodies a historical vision of Cuba which today directly affects the politics of Washington. In the midst of the energy and social crisis that the island is going through, its position is forceful, as it considers that the recent economic opening of Havana It does not alter the substance of the conflict. Just one day after authorizing the investment of his diaspora, Rubio ruled that the measures “are not drastic enough.”
“They have a political and government system that they cannot fix; the economy is not working, so they have to change drastically. What they announced on Monday is not drastic enough. It is not going to fix it,” Rubio told reporters at the Oval Office of the White Housewhere he accompanied Donald Trump during the reception of the Irish Prime Minister, Michael Martin.
The measure announced by the Cuban government, which includes participation in sectors such as banking, seeks to alleviate a structural crisis marked by blackouts, fuel shortages and health deterioration. However, Rubio stressed that the embargo is “linked to political changes,” alluding to the conditions that, in the opinion of the United States, should be met on the island.
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Cuban leader responds with message of resistance
In contrast, from Havana, Miguel Diaz-Canel —whose departure from power has been proposed by the US administration, according to press reports— responded with a message of rejection. The president assured that Cuba will have “impregnable resistance” to any attempt at external interference and accused Washington of seeking to suffocate the economy to force political changes.
The island retains a geopolitical and economic weight that transcends its current weakness. Its proximity to the United States – about 150 kilometers from Florida -, its tourism potential and a partially developed infrastructure keep it as a strategic enclave in the Caribbean, with a symbolic load that refers to the prolongation of the Cold war.
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That potential is not recent in Trump’s vision. According to US media, companies linked to the then businessman sent representatives to the island in 1998 and they allocated at least 68 thousand dollars to explore business opportunities. Today, in a scenario of internal crisis, that same combination of location and underutilized assets reappears as an opportunity.
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