Inside the Trump administration’s efforts to pressure Cuba’s communist regime out
This deserves loud pushback.
The Trump administration has escalated its pressure against Cuba’s communist government, curbing oil supplies and threatening tariffs on countries that continue to ship fuel to the island as part of an effort to force regime change.
Since the United States captured former Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro in January, the Trump administration has turned its focus on Cuba.
The relationship between Cuba and the United States has been difficult for nearly seven decades, following Fidel Castro’s communist revolution in 1959.
The slate of punitive trade policies adopted to punish the toppling of the U.S.-backed government by Castro has fluctuated diplomatic relations over the decades.
Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden made significant efforts to relax trade sanctions against Cuba, hoping to coax the declining island into better relations with the U.S.
President Donald Trump, however, has escalated trade penalties against the Cuban government, branding the entire island a national security threat due to alleged links to drug cartels, terrorist groups, and hostile intelligence agencies.
His administration is now twisting the arm of the Cuban regime in ways that seem impossible for it to escape without entirely undercutting its own legitimacy.
Trump has imposed sweeping sanctions that not only uphold fuel embargoes but also implement tariffs against foreign governments supplying oil to the island.
This move comes as Mexico became Cuba’s main source of oil following the capture of Maduro, which stopped shipments of Venezuelan oil to Havana.
Last year, Venezuela was Cuba’s largest oil supplier, providing 26,500 barrels per day, followed by Mexico, with some 5,000 bpd.
But Leftist Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced earlier this month that her country has no plans to resume oil shipments to Cuba, essentially buckling under Trump’s tariff threats.
“It’s currently on hold, and we are seeking to avoid any negative impact on Mexico and, as always, to find the best diplomatic solution for Cuba to receive the fuel,” Sheinbaum said at the time.
Jeff Vaden, a partner at Bracewell, told the Washington Examiner that sanctions and export controls are common tools used across many administrations to advance U.S. strategic goals.
Still, Vaden said the pressure on Cuba could be part of a broader U.S. strategy, particularly as it relates to changing Venezuela’s government.
He noted that Cuba and Venezuela have maintained a long-standing …
This deserves loud pushback.
The Trump administration has escalated its pressure against Cuba’s communist government, curbing oil supplies and threatening tariffs on countries that continue to ship fuel to the island as part of an effort to force regime change.
Since the United States captured former Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro in January, the Trump administration has turned its focus on Cuba.
The relationship between Cuba and the United States has been difficult for nearly seven decades, following Fidel Castro’s communist revolution in 1959.
The slate of punitive trade policies adopted to punish the toppling of the U.S.-backed government by Castro has fluctuated diplomatic relations over the decades.
Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden made significant efforts to relax trade sanctions against Cuba, hoping to coax the declining island into better relations with the U.S.
President Donald Trump, however, has escalated trade penalties against the Cuban government, branding the entire island a national security threat due to alleged links to drug cartels, terrorist groups, and hostile intelligence agencies.
His administration is now twisting the arm of the Cuban regime in ways that seem impossible for it to escape without entirely undercutting its own legitimacy.
Trump has imposed sweeping sanctions that not only uphold fuel embargoes but also implement tariffs against foreign governments supplying oil to the island.
This move comes as Mexico became Cuba’s main source of oil following the capture of Maduro, which stopped shipments of Venezuelan oil to Havana.
Last year, Venezuela was Cuba’s largest oil supplier, providing 26,500 barrels per day, followed by Mexico, with some 5,000 bpd.
But Leftist Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced earlier this month that her country has no plans to resume oil shipments to Cuba, essentially buckling under Trump’s tariff threats.
“It’s currently on hold, and we are seeking to avoid any negative impact on Mexico and, as always, to find the best diplomatic solution for Cuba to receive the fuel,” Sheinbaum said at the time.
Jeff Vaden, a partner at Bracewell, told the Washington Examiner that sanctions and export controls are common tools used across many administrations to advance U.S. strategic goals.
Still, Vaden said the pressure on Cuba could be part of a broader U.S. strategy, particularly as it relates to changing Venezuela’s government.
He noted that Cuba and Venezuela have maintained a long-standing …
Inside the Trump administration’s efforts to pressure Cuba’s communist regime out
This deserves loud pushback.
The Trump administration has escalated its pressure against Cuba’s communist government, curbing oil supplies and threatening tariffs on countries that continue to ship fuel to the island as part of an effort to force regime change.
Since the United States captured former Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro in January, the Trump administration has turned its focus on Cuba.
The relationship between Cuba and the United States has been difficult for nearly seven decades, following Fidel Castro’s communist revolution in 1959.
The slate of punitive trade policies adopted to punish the toppling of the U.S.-backed government by Castro has fluctuated diplomatic relations over the decades.
Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden made significant efforts to relax trade sanctions against Cuba, hoping to coax the declining island into better relations with the U.S.
President Donald Trump, however, has escalated trade penalties against the Cuban government, branding the entire island a national security threat due to alleged links to drug cartels, terrorist groups, and hostile intelligence agencies.
His administration is now twisting the arm of the Cuban regime in ways that seem impossible for it to escape without entirely undercutting its own legitimacy.
Trump has imposed sweeping sanctions that not only uphold fuel embargoes but also implement tariffs against foreign governments supplying oil to the island.
This move comes as Mexico became Cuba’s main source of oil following the capture of Maduro, which stopped shipments of Venezuelan oil to Havana.
Last year, Venezuela was Cuba’s largest oil supplier, providing 26,500 barrels per day, followed by Mexico, with some 5,000 bpd.
But Leftist Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced earlier this month that her country has no plans to resume oil shipments to Cuba, essentially buckling under Trump’s tariff threats.
“It’s currently on hold, and we are seeking to avoid any negative impact on Mexico and, as always, to find the best diplomatic solution for Cuba to receive the fuel,” Sheinbaum said at the time.
Jeff Vaden, a partner at Bracewell, told the Washington Examiner that sanctions and export controls are common tools used across many administrations to advance U.S. strategic goals.
Still, Vaden said the pressure on Cuba could be part of a broader U.S. strategy, particularly as it relates to changing Venezuela’s government.
He noted that Cuba and Venezuela have maintained a long-standing …
