Cuba another victim of US imperialism

As blackouts stretch through the night and food prices rocket by the week, Cubans are once again being tested to the limits of endurance. The streets of Havana—still lined with vintage cars and colonial façades—have rarely looked more fragile. Power outages now last up to twelve hours, fuel lines snake around blocks, and the peso continues to plummet. For many, survival has become the nation’s only industry.

The US government’s latest squeeze—threatening tariffs on countries supplying Cuba with oil—tightens an economic chokehold that stretches back decades. The collapse of Venezuela’s oil support and Mexico’s recent withdrawal have left the island gasping. Washington’s strategy may aim to force change, but the immediate result is predictable: ordinary Cubans bearing the cost of geopolitical rivalry.

Yet this is not a story of sudden collapse; it is one of cumulative exhaustion. Cuba’s aging power grid has long teetered on failure, and its post-revolution economy—built on rationing and resilience—has been stretched to breaking point. Housewives like Yaite Verdecia say, “There’s no salary that can cope with this.” Taxi drivers who once saw electric vehicles as their future can no longer find power to charge them. Lines for food and fuel have become an inescapable part of daily life.

Despite everything, the streets remain largely silent. A mix of repression, fear, and fatigue has subdued public protest since the brief outburst of 2021. Millions have left the island since the pandemic, draining its energy and voice. Those who remain, like 71-year-old Mirta Trujillo, cling to faith rather than politics: “I’m not against my country... but I don’t want to die of hunger.”

Cuba’s crisis today is not only about oil, inflation, or blackouts—it is about hope running on empty. While US sanctions may claim to pressure the regime, these are instead breaking the backs of its people. After six decades of survival against the odds, Cuba’s lights may dim again, but its will to endure—worn thin and weary—still flickers in the dark.