[News] The United States' total war against Cuba: Resistance and solidarity

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The United States' total war against Cuba: Resistance and solidarity
Pedro Monzón Barata
June 9, 2026
------------------------------

In this article, Pedro Monzon Barata argues that Washington’s decades-long
campaign against Cuba aims not at democracy but at regime change and
recolonization, while highlighting Cuba’s legacy of international
solidarity and resistance despite sanctions, pressure, and isolation.

   - [image: Cuba is a fundamental trench in a much larger battle, and
   halting the aggressive and predatory advance of the empire before it
   engulfs the entire planet is a shared responsibility of all humanity. (Al
   Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)]
   <https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2026/6/8/6e978d9e-e78b-4bfe-881f-50530b6b9ba7.jpg?v=2&width=1000>
   Cuba is a fundamental trench in a much larger battle, and halting the
   aggressive and predatory advance of the empire before it engulfs the entire
   planet is a shared responsibility of all humanity. (Al Mayadeen English;
   Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

This is not about democracy or the well-being of the Cuban people. After
more than six decades of resistance, history demonstrates that the United
States' objective has always been the same: to crush the example of dignity
that the Cuban Revolution represents. From the failed Bay of Pigs invasion
in 1961, through sustained terrorism, to the more than six hundred
assassination attempts against Fidel Castro, the pattern is clear: the will
to destroy a country that dared to challenge U.S. hegemony. This enmity was
born from a sovereign decision made in 1959: to recover natural resources,
nationalize foreign companies, and build a socialist project in the
empire's own backyard. Every measure of aggression the island has suffered
responds to this systematic imperial logic.

In the current context, with an imperial escalation that has dangerously
accelerated in 2025 and 2026, Washington's true intentions are to provoke
regime change, destroy our socialist system, and achieve recolonization.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio increasingly instigates policies of
asphyxiation and demands that Cuba have "new people in charge," while
Donald Trump has publicly declared that it would be a "great honor" to take
control of the country. Military options are being openly discussed to
return the island to the status of a de facto colony under the Platt
Amendment, which granted the United States the right to intervene
militarily in Cuba, among many other humiliating conditions. What
Washington wants now is to restore that status of submission.

On January 15, 2026, Trump signed an executive order declaring Cuba an
"unusual and extraordinary threat" to US national security. This
declaration has no basis in reality. What threat can a small, blockaded
country with no offensive military capability pose to the North American
superpower? The answer is none. The false "threat" is a rhetorical device
to legally activate the economic blockade and lay the groundwork for
military intervention. It is the same pattern used before the invasions of
Iraq and Afghanistan: first fabricate a threat, then demonize the
government, then impose sanctions, and finally justify armed aggression.

But those pushing toward armed confrontation should look at the Middle
East. The maximum pressure policy against Iran has not managed to bend the
heroic Islamic Republic. A military aggression against Cuba would be an
even more resounding failure. The island has a united people trained in
defence, with a history that includes defeating a CIA-organized invasion in
72 hours. Any intervention would condemn the United States to a new Vietnam
in the Caribbean, with rising casualties, financial cost, global
repudiation, and internal fracture. If this aggression were to take place,
the Trump administration would head into the midterm elections with two
resounding failures.

In April 2026, the US government announced an unjust indictment against
Army General Raul Castro for an event that occurred 30 years ago: the
downing of two planes that repeatedly violated Cuban airspace in 1996. The
terrorist organization Brothers to the Rescue carried out provocative
flights over Havana with total impunity. Declassified documents reveal that
Washington was warned several times by the government of Cuba, but allowed
the violations to provoke a fatal outcome, with the aim of generating a
political conflict. Accusing Raul Castro 30 years later is an act of legal
cynicism to prepare the ground for military aggression.

The primary tool of this criminal scheme is economic asphyxiation. The 1960
Mallory Memorandum openly admitted the objective: "to provoke hunger,
desperation, and the overthrow of the government." The blockade has cost
the island more than $1.5 trillion, equating to decades of truncated
development. Today, airlines have suspended flights to Cuba, hotel
management companies and investment partners have withdrawn, and the entry
of parts for thermoelectric plants is blocked, contributing to increasingly
prolonged blackouts.

These are not surgical sanctions but massive punishment against the entire
population. Washington seeks a return to colony status. Its goal is not a
cosmetic change but total dissolution of the Cuban system. They want Cuba
to abandon its alliances with China and Russia — which are not military in
nature — and align unconditionally with the United States. They pursue the
plunder of our resources: privatize state enterprises, healthcare, and
education, and control strategic sectors. Thus, they try to erase the
example of a small country that refuses to kneel, prioritizes social
justice over corporate profits, and has shown the world that one can live
with dignity without submitting to the northern master.
Does Cuba deserve to be 'punished'?

Leaving aside that imperialist acts against Cuba and the rest of the world
have no legal or moral basis, one might ask: Does Cuba deserve to be
"punished"? The premise of Washington's demagogic policy starts from a
false construction designed to justify a genocidal siege. If Cuba is a
solidary country that practices full social justice within and outside its
territory, the answer is clear: the true criminal is the one who imposes
the punishment, not the one who resists with humanism. Cuban solidarity is
not an occasional gesture but a state policy sustained for more than six
decades, deeply rooted in revolutionary ethics.

Cuban medical cooperation is the most emblematic example of revolutionary
internationalism. More than 600,000 Cuban health professionals have
participated in 165 nations, saving millions of lives. At home, Cuba
achieved an infant mortality rate of 4.9 per thousand live births and
became the first country to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV
and congenital syphilis, certified by the World Health Organization. That
is tangible human rights, not empty rhetoric.

The Henry Reeve Brigade, founded in 2005 for disasters and epidemics,
supported Pakistan after its earthquakes, fought Ebola in West Africa, and
aided Caribbean nations hit by hurricanes. An international campaign
nominated them for the Nobel Peace Prize. Furthermore, Cuba's literacy
method 'Yo sí puedo' (Yes I Can) was awarded the UNESCO King Sejong Prize
for its contribution to fighting illiteracy. During COVID-19, while rich
powers hoarded supplies, Cuba deployed more than three thousand
collaborators to 35 countries in just three months, including Italy and
Andorra. Furthermore, Cuba created its own vaccines—Soberana 01, Soberana
02, and Abdala—with technology transfer to Iran, Vietnam, and Venezuela,
all despite the blockade. While big pharma speculated, Cuba shared its
science.

But Cuban solidarity is not limited to health. The "Yes, I Can" literacy
method, endorsed by UNESCO, has taught more than ten million adults in
nearly thirty countries, earning UNESCO's King Sejong Prize. Operation
Miracle, launched jointly with Venezuela, has performed millions of free
eye surgeries in 35 countries, restoring sight to more than six million
people. In Jamaica alone, until the government yielded to U.S. pressures in
March 2026, Operation Miracle had restored sight to nearly 25,000
Jamaicans. In Honduras, the program was cancelled under the new
conservative president Nasry Asfura.

Cuban solidarity has also extended to the military sphere. Operation
Carlota in Angola was the largest internationalist military mission ever
undertaken by a Global South country. Nearly 300,000 Cuban soldiers helped
defeat South African apartheid, paving the way for the liberation of
Namibia and the end of the racist regime. More than 2,000 Cubans gave their
lives in this heroic feat. This demonstrates that Cuban solidarity, whether
with a vaccine, a doctor, or a rifle, has always been a response to
injustice, not a threat.

All this solidarity power is based on solid internal social justice: free
and universal access to health and education are unshakable conquests of
the Revolution. Cuba has committed no injustice, nor does it deserve to be
punished. The injustice is the US blockade, which seeks to punish a country
whose only crime is being an example of dignity and humanism. While Cuba
guarantees tangible rights, its accusers trample on those same rights with
growing inequality, privatized health systems, educational exclusion, and
the repression of its people.
International solidarity with Cuba: Achievements and contradictions

Cuba does not resist alone. International solidarity has become a strategic
actor, though with lights and shadows.

In material terms, the "Our America" Convoy brought together nearly 300
organizations from more than 30 countries, coordinating shipments of food
and medicine. The "Granma 2.0" Flotilla sailed from Veracruz in March 2026,
transporting more than 30 tonnes of critical supplies, including nearly 100
solar panels to mitigate the energy crisis. Participants range from trade
unions in Brazil and Argentina to religious groups in Canada and feminist
collectives in Mexico.

In the narrative battle, solidarity acts as an antidote to media poisoning.
The study Solidarity Does Communicate recorded 3.3 million mentions of Cuba
in March 2026 on digital platforms. Activists articulated a coherent
three-layer narrative: the blockade as the cause of suffering; concrete
humanitarian aid as a response; and solidarity as political legitimation.
Among others, figures like Jeremy Corbyn and Pablo Iglesias participated in
events, generating emotional content on Instagram and Facebook. Solidarity
successfully competes against the most powerful disinformation machine in
the world.

On global political pressure, the UN General Assembly has condemned the
blockade 33 times between 1992 and 2025. In the last vote (October 2025),
165 countries voted in favour, 7 against, and 12 abstained—a slight erosion
due to US pressure, but still an overwhelming majority confirming global
support for ending the blockade.

The International Court of Justice has established that unilateral coercive
measures violate the UN Charter when applied extraterritorially. The
National Network on Cuba in the United States (NNOC), with more than 70
organizations, coordinates vigils, lobbying, and car caravans in US cities.
Even within the aggressor country, there is organized rejection of White
House policy. In March 2026, the Pan-African movement issued a letter
signed by 33 organizations from 16 countries, calling the blockade "a
persistent act of war and a crime against humanity." Global support for
Cuba is real and majority, but its effectiveness clashes with the U.S. veto
in the Security Council, which paralyzes any binding action.
The structural limitations of global support and solidarity

No serious analysis can hide the deep limitations facing international
solidarity with Cuba. It is not just about the ineffectiveness of certain
actions, but the very structure of the international system, where impunity
for Washington's acts remains the norm. This impunity has been visible in
Gaza, Lebanon, and Yemen, where despite global condemnation and UN
resolutions, the US and "Israel's" war machines continue to operate without
consequences. The same pattern applies to Cuba: unanimous condemnations at
the UN have not lifted a single 'sanction.'

The first major limitation is the political, financial, and tariff pressure
Washington exerts on any government or entity that dares to support Cuba.
The Treasury Department has fined European, Asian, and Latin American banks
for processing Cuban transactions. Title III of the Helms-Burton Act allows
lawsuits against foreign companies that 'traffic' in nationalized
properties, creating a climate of financial terror. Added to this is the U.
control of the SWIFT banking system, turning any act of solidarity into a
risk of ruin. Furthermore, the arbitrary inclusion of Cuba on the US State
Sponsors of Terrorism list—a designation widely rejected by the
international community—severely restricts access to correspondent banking,
international financing, and humanitarian purchases, imposing collective
punishment on the entire population

The result has been a wave of cancellations of medical cooperation
agreements under direct US pressure. Jamaica ended a nearly 50-year
agreement in March 2026. Honduras did not renew its contract, leaving
thousands of rural patients without care. Guatemala closed a 30-year
program involving 412 Cuban collaborators. Guyana, Antigua and Barbuda, and
the Bahamas also suspended or cancelled their agreements. Cuban Foreign
Minister Bruno Rodríguez has denounced that Washington pressures and
extorts governments to end the presence of Cuban medical brigades, aiming
to besiege the Cuban economy. To legitimize this, Washington labels the
program "forced labour" and "human trafficking," which Cuba rejects since
Cuban doctors serve voluntarily, driven by ethical conviction. The
mechanism is clear: the power of the dollar, control of banking, and
extraterritorial US laws force small countries to sacrifice their public
health for Washington's geostrategic interests.

The second limitation reflects the asymmetry of world powers. China and
Russia maintain diplomatic and economic relations with Cuba, vote against
the blockade at the UN, and have offered credits and political support.
However, they have not put a limit on aggressive U.S. policy against Cuba.
No power has been willing to challenge the U.S.-led political and financial
order without risking confrontation. Solidarity from great powers is real
in diplomatic discourse, but its capacity to reverse the blockade
encounters the same structural limitations faced by the entire Global
South. It is the suffocating reality of an international order where the
U.S. veto and financial dominance impose rules.

The third limitation is systemic impunity. The United States has abandoned
any pretense of rules-based leadership: it vetoed ceasefire resolutions in
Gaza, threatened the International Criminal Court, and ignored fundamental
treaties. The blockade against Cuba is not an anomaly but another
expression of that impunity. The UN General Assembly can condemn it 33
times, but as long as the Security Council is paralyzed by the US veto,
those condemnations remain symbolic. The world condemns, but no one dares
to stop the aggressor for fear of reprisals. When Washington imposes
sanctions on European banks that trade with Cuba, those banks comply.
Impunity is not an accident; it is a structural feature of the imperial
order.

This combination of factors—direct coercive pressures, interests of
emerging powers, and systemic impunity—explains why, despite decades of
solidarity, the blockade not only persists but hardens. It is not that
solidarity is useless; it fights on a battlefield where the rules are set
by the aggressor. The lesson is clear: the defence of sovereignty cannot be
delegated to any external solidarity. Fundamental resistance lies on the
island.
The communication battle

Greater coordination of campaigns on social networks is essential to
neutralize the lies launched by the United States. Imperial psychological
warfare knows no borders. The digital offensive against Cuba uses three
techniques: framing (presenting Cuba as a "threat"), agenda setting
(creating a sense of imminent collapse), and gaslighting (making Cubans
doubt their own reality). The objective is to poison public opinion and
break resistance from within.

To neutralize the empire's lies, it is key to build a global communication
front based on seven axes: articulate a unified three-layer narrative;
prioritize emotional content on Instagram and Facebook; coordinate posting
times to create trends; ally with content creators; systematically
dismantle false accusations; create a global directory of digital
activists; and leverage international events. The communication battle is a
decisive trench. When solidarity is coordinated on a global scale, it can
successfully compete against the most powerful disinformation machine in
the world.
In conclusion: fundamental resistance lies on the island

Washington's recipe is old: strangle the economy to generate discontent
and, amidst the suffering, facilitate an intervention. The unjust
accusation against Raul Castro is nothing more than the latest piece in
that machinery: criminalize the leader to delegitimize the Revolution and
pave the way for military aggression, while working to create a
humanitarian crisis in the country. But as we demonstrated at the Bay of
Pigs in 1961, during the 1962 missile crisis, in the special period of the
1990s, and every single day of resistance since then, the Cuban people,
their Revolution, and their sovereign example are not negotiated; they are
defended. International solidarity—from the flotillas breaking the blockade
to the content creators amplifying our truth on social networks, from the
governments condemning the siege at the UN to the unions sending solar
panels—is a necessary and valuable complement. But the heart of the
resistance beats on the island, in every Cuban who, despite shortages,
endless lines, scheduled blackouts, and media poisoning, refuses to kneel
and is willing to give their life in defense of the homeland, if necessary.

But Cuba's struggle is not only for its own survival. It is a fundamental
trench in a much larger battle. Halting the aggressive and predatory
advance of the empire before it engulfs the entire planet is a shared
responsibility of all conscious humanity. At stake is the very possibility
of a multipolar world, respectful of sovereignty and social justice.
Therefore, while the threats of Trump and Rubio and the infamous accusation
against Raúl Castro resonate in international headlines, the Cuban people
continue working, studying, producing, and defending their right to exist
with dignity.

*References*:

   - Cuban News Agency. (2021, April 6). Cuban president and FM denounce
   the genocidal policy of the US blockade.
   http://www.cubanews.acn.cu/cuba/13196-cuban-president-and-fm-denounce-the-genocidal-policy-of-the-us-blockade
   - Cuban News Agency. (2023, April 6). Cuba condemns validity of the
   Mallory Memorandum.
   http://www.cubanews.acn.cu/cuba/20917-cuba-condemns-validity-of-the-mallory-memorandum
   - Prensa Latina. (2026, April 6). Cuba no está sola, afirma activista
   boliviano ante bloqueo de EEUU.
   https://www.prensa-latina.cu/2026/04/06/cuba-no-esta-sola-afirma-activista-boliviano-ante-bloqueo-de-eeuu/
   - (2025, January 15). The United States adopts measures in the right
   direction, but the blockade remains.
   https://en.granma.cu/cuba/2025-01-15/the-united-states-adopts-measures-in-the-right-direction-but-the-blockade-remains
   - (2026, February 16). Cuba is not a threat!
   https://en.granma.cu/mundo/2026-02-16/cuba-is-not-a-threat
   - Juventud Rebelde. (2022, March 28). Organismo de Naciones Unidas
   premia a gestores cubanos de vacunas antiCOVID-19.
   https://juventudrebelde.cu/index.php/ciencia-tecnica/2022-03-28/organismo-de-naciones-unidas-premia-a-gestores-cubanos-de-vacunas-anticovid-19
   - (2020, October 4). Medical brigade that worked in Dominica returns to
   Cuba.
   http://en.cubadebate.cu/news/2020/10/04/medical-brigade-that-worked-dominica-returns-cuba/
   - (2026, May 20). Cuando Leonard Weinglass interpeló al Gobierno de
   Estados Unidos sobre Hermanos al Rescate.
   https://www.granma.cu/mundo/2026-05-20/cuando-leonard-weinglass-interpelo-al-gobierno-de-estados-unidos-sobre-hermanos-al-rescate-20-05-2026-13-05-34
   - Prensa Latina. (2026, May 20). Estados Unidos, culpable del derribo de
   avionetas, entonces y ahora.
   https://www.prensa-latina.cu/2026/05/20/estados-unidos-culpable-del-derribo-de-avionetas-entonces-y-ahora/
   - (2026, May 20). La acusación contra Raúl es fraudulenta y carece de
   fundamento legal, político y moral.
   https://www.granma.cu/cuba/2026-05-20/la-acusacion-contra-raul-es-fraudulenta-y-carece-de-fundamento-legal-politico-y-moral-20-05-2026-22-05-40
   - (s.f.). Enmienda Platt. https://www.ecured.cu/Enmienda_Platt
   - Cuadernos Artesanos de Comunicación. (s.f.). Informe sobre votaciones
   en la ONU. http://www.cuadernosartesanos.org/cdm1.pdf#21#13
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