Monroe Doctrine
The Wrong War to Win Quickly: On the Consequences of Invading Cuba
With the Iran war settled, the deferred question returns on schedule. Taking the threat against Havana at face value, this is an attempt to count what a war with Cuba would actually produce — not in the triumphal grammar of Washington nor the martyrological grammar of Havana, but on the ledger where consequences are tallied after the cameras leave. The gravest danger may not be the war the planners fear but the aftermath none of them have planned for.
Read more →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.
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