Cuba
From Monroe to Ratcliffe: Cuba and the United States
As the Trump administration tightens its pressure on Havana in 2026 — sanctions, an oil blockade, a surprise visit by the CIA director — this essay traces the long arc behind the standoff: from the Monroe Doctrine through the Platt Amendment to Batista and the revolution. The patterns in today’s headlines are as old as the relationship itself.
Read more →Two Unprecedented Granma Articles: A Strategic Shift in Havana
On May 14, 2026, Cuba’s state newspaper Granma signaled a departure from decades of isolationist rhetoric. By reporting a high-level meeting with CIA Director John Ratcliffe and President Díaz-Canel’s openness to $100 million in US aid, the Cuban government is utilizing its official organ to prepare the public for a two-track negotiation involving security cooperation and humanitarian relief.
Read more →Intervention and Occupation: Chapter 4 of Cuba and the United States: Ties of Singular Intimacy
How the United States transformed a Cuban war of national liberation into a war of conquest, culminating in the Platt Amendment and the institutionalization of U.S. hegemony over the island.
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