In a significant escalation of rhetoric following a military operation in Venezuela, a top United States official has singled out Cuba as the next potential focus of Washington's foreign policy. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio explicitly called the Cuban government a "huge problem," signaling a possible expansion of American interventionist policy in the region.
Rubio's Stern Warning to Havana
The strong comments came during an interview with NBC News' "Meet the Press," conducted in the aftermath of the US operation that led to the removal of Venezuela's oil-rich President, Nicolas Maduro. When pressed to clarify if his statement pointed to future action against Cuba, Rubio was unequivocal. "I think they're in a lot of trouble," he stated, adding a firm "Yes."
While refusing to divulge specific future steps, the Secretary of State left little doubt about the administration's stance. "I'm not going to talk to you about what our future steps are going to be and our policies are going to be right now in this regard," Rubio said. "But I don't think it's any mystery that we are not big fans of the Cuban regime."
Global Backlash and Cuba's Furious Response
The weekend operation in Venezuela drew immediate condemnation from several nations, including Russia and Iran, which criticised the strikes as a blatant violation of sovereignty. The reaction from Havana, however, was particularly fierce and historically charged.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel denounced the US action as "an unacceptable, vulgar and barbarian kidnapping." In a strongly worded statement, he escalated the accusation, calling it an "act of state terrorism, comparable only to the crimes against humanity committed by Israeli Zionism in the Gaza Strip."
For the Communist-led island nation, located just 90 miles off the coast of Florida, the events in Venezuela stirred deep-seated historical anxieties. The Guardian noted that the US has a long history of intervention in Cuba, including two military occupations in the 20th century. Following Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution, the CIA supported multiple attempts to overthrow the government, most infamously the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961.
Trump's Remarks and the Road Ahead
Echoing his Secretary of State's sentiments, former President Donald Trump also commented on the situation. Speaking to reporters at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday, Trump remarked that Cuba was "not doing very well," highlighting the prolonged suffering of its people.
"I think Cuba is going to be something we'll end up talking about because Cuba is a failing nation right now. Very badly failing nation," Trump asserted. He outlined a dual objective for US policy: "We want to help the people in Cuba, but we want to also help the people that were forced out of Cuba and living in this country."
The synchronized comments from key US figures underscore a potentially volatile new chapter in US-Cuba relations. The explicit targeting of the Havana regime, coupled with the precedent of direct action in Venezuela, suggests that the Caribbean nation may soon find itself under intense pressure from its powerful northern neighbour.
