“Cuba will not be bullied by the President of the United States of America nor by his underlings.”
By Bernard Regan, Cuba Solidarity Campaign
Cuba will not be bullied by the President of the United States of America nor by his underlings. No matter how belligerent they are, Cuba will not be intimidated but will respond with dignity and gravity. That is the message from Havana.
Since the 3rd January attack on Venezuelan sovereignty, the Cuban government and the Cuban people have spoken loud and clear – Cuba will not abandon its friends. Abel Prieto, President of Casa de las Americas, summed up the unity between Cuba and Venezuela when he declared: “Venezuela and Cuba: one flag”. He defined the current situation as a struggle, “between the forces of hatred, war and death and the forces of Sovereignty, dignity and life.”
Far from the “surgical strike” that the US President Donald Trump and much of the media have claimed, the attack on Venezuela and the kidnapping of President Maduro resulted in the murder of over 100 Venezuelan and Cuban soldiers assigned to protect President Maduro. The remains of the 32 Cuban soldiers who were murdered by the US military were received at the island with a solemn but defiant message from the people of Cuba. Speaking before hundreds of thousands of Cubans demonstrating in front of the US embassy in Havana, Cuban President Diaz Canel condemned the aggression against Venezuela, the kidnapping of President Maduro and Cilia Flores.
The political response from the Cuban leaders is clear and united. Gerardo Hernandez, one of the Cuban Five Heroes, said, “You don’t play with the homeland. You don’t play with the Revolution. You don’t play with Cuban unity”. Whatever the likes of President Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and their ilk believe their aggressive remarks might achieve, it is clear from the response by the leadership and people that Cubans understand the critical nature of the present situation but refuse to be intimidated.
Cuba stands united with the peoples of Venezuela in rejecting the belligerent threats from the White House in the face of Washington’s threats to stop oil being transported to the island from Caracas.
Cuba has faced a blockade for 66 years – a medieval siege which has hit their economy hard. Within 24 hours of returning to the Presidency in January 2025, Trump designated Cuba a “State Sponsor of Terrorism”. By this act, the US regime denied Cuba access to vital international financial institutions commonly used to conduct trade. The country is denied access to SWIFT – the mechanism used by over 11,000 companies in more than 200 countries and regions to conduct business.
The crisis of Latin America, like the threats to Greenland, is at one with the efforts of US imperialism to create a new world order framed on the basis of the policies of the neoconservatives of the Heritage Foundation and others. Trump regards China as the biggest threat to his plans for world domination by US imperialism, and the Beijing Belt and Road Initiative threatens his ambition. He covets the Rare Earth Elements of Latin America. These Elements play a critical role in the development of new technologies, computers, and batteries. China, Brazil, Vietnam, India, Australia and Russia each have reserves that dwarf those of the USA. Hence, Trump’s ambitions for Greenland are one part of his bid for global dominance.
This is one of the reasons that Trump rejects any country’s right to self-determination and the right to defend its sovereignty. Whilst Cuba does not have any of these natural resources, it is that country’s assertion of its sovereignty that is an example which challenges Washington’s ambitions.
The UK Government says it affirms the rights of the people of Greenland to self-determination and the right to defend its sovereignty; however, the Prime Minister and John Healey, Secretary of State for Defence, have been equivocal about asserting the same for the peoples of Cuba and Venezuela. Cuba Solidarity Campaign is asking people to join the TUC, 50 (+) MPs, the General Secretaries of many trade unions, academics, public figures and others in a call for respect for “Peace and Sovereignty” in respect of Cuba.
- You can add your name to the “Defend International Law – No to intervention in Cuba and Latin America” appeal – https://cuba-solidarity.org.uk/peace-and-sovereignty/
- You can follow Bernard Regan on Twitter/X here; and follow the Cuba Solidarity Campaign on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram.
- You can join the Cuba Solidarity Campaign at https://cuba-solidarity.org.uk/get-involved/join/
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