The U.S. Blockade Against Cuba Hits the Most Vulnerable

Cuba produces around 40 percent of its own oil, yet the U.S. blockade has plunged the country into its worst crisis since the Revolution of 1959. The crisis is hitting the most vulnerable sectors of society particularly hard.

Elderly people who no longer have family members in Cuba can no longer survive on their state pensions, as food prices have risen significantly over the past six months. At the same time, the U.S. economic war against the country is severely affecting hospitals and patients.

On Thursday, Cuba s Deputy Minister of Public Health, Carilda Peñ-;-a, stated that nearly 100,000 surgeries have had to be canceled in recent months due to shortages of basic medical supplies and medicines necessary to perform operations.

In addition, daily power outages continue to affect hospitals, despite the state s efforts to prioritize electricity supply to healthcare facilities. A total of 5,152 cancer-related surgeries have been postponed. As a result, it is no longer only the elderly who are dying-;- patients unable to undergo surgery for cancer and other life-threatening diseases are also paying the ultimate price.

Peñ-;-a further explained that 2,888 Cubans require regular dialysis treatment. Without blood purification at least once a week, these patients could die within a matter of weeks. However, due to fuel shortages—with gasoline now costing approximately 100 Danish kroner per liter—many patients can no longer be transported to hospitals, especially in rural areas. Although dialysis patients remain a priority for the state, a lack of fuel prevents many from reaching treatment centers.

The Deputy Minister also noted that Cuba s vaccination programs are facing a severe crisis because the country lacks the foreign currency needed to import the raw materials required to manufacture vaccines domestically. This is expected to affect children in the coming months.

Child mortality in Cuba has already tripled since 2019. Until then, Cuba had the lowest child mortality rate in the entire American continent. That is no longer the case.

The United States Escalates the Crisis

In 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump placed Cuba on the list of countries "supporting terrorism." The official justification was that Cuba, like Norway, had hosted peace negotiations between the Colombian government and Colombian guerrilla forces. According to the author, the real reason was Trump s desire to secure support from influential Cuban exile groups in Miami.

The designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism significantly complicated financial transactions, as the United States threatened banks with massive fines if they engaged in business involving Cuba.

The appointment of Marco Rubio as U.S. Secretary of State represented another aggressive move toward Cuba and Latin America more broadly. Over the past six months, the crisis has intensified dramatically.

Tourism Under Pressure

In January, Canadian airlines were pressured into suspending flights to Cuba. Canadian tourists had previously accounted for roughly half of Cuba s tourism revenue.

At the same time, the oil blockade left the Cuban state unable to provide sufficient aviation fuel for flights departing from the country s airports. As a result, long-haul aircraft have been forced to stop in neighboring Caribbean countries to refuel, increasing travel costs.

Most European airlines have also suspended flights to Cuba. In May, Marco Rubio pressured the Spanish airline Plus Ultra to immediately halt its cooperation with the Cuban airline Cubana.

Most smaller hotels across the country had already been forced to close by February because they lacked sufficient fuel to operate their -backup- generators, which had previously shielded tourists from prolonged power outages.

In June, Rubio reportedly pressured numerous foreign hotel chains to close their Cuban operations. Similarly, the Canadian mining company Sherritt International had been pressured in May to suspend its mining activities in Cuba.

That same month, Rubio also pressured Visa and Mastercard, which had previously allowed certain Cuba-related transactions through regulatory loopholes, leading to the termination of those services.

Who Is Really Under Pressure?

According to the author, the objective of these measures is to crush the Cuban economy. The U.S. government, he argues, is indifferent to the daily suffering of the Cuban people resulting from this economic war because its primary goal is to overthrow Cuba s government and take control of the country s economy.

However, the author contends that the United States itself faces mounting difficulties. Despite the hardships, Cubans continue to endure. They have more than 65 years of experience living under U.S. pressure and sanctions. In his view, Cuba will not collapse.

With the U.S. midterm elections approaching in November, and with Republicans expected by the author to suffer electoral losses, he argues that the window for further escalation against Cuba is narrowing.

For that reason, the attacks on the Cuban economy and the Cuban people are becoming increasingly intense and desperate. Meanwhile, children, the elderly, and hospital patients continue to pay the price with their lives.


https://solidaritet.dk/usas-blokade-mod-cuba-rammer-de-svageste/

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