Relations between Washington and Havana are entering a dangerous escalation. At the same time that the US Department of Justice denounced the nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz invaded the Caribbean.
Although they speak of a “show of force”, the timing leaves no room for misinterpretation. Inside Cuba, citizens, mired in the darkness of constant blackouts and economic impoverishment, are watching with bated breath, wondering if this is the prelude to another US military intervention to topple the regime.
Right now, the US government intends to use the Nimitz and its fighter wing as a show of force rather than a platform for major military operations, as the aircraft carrier Gerald Ford did during the raid to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January. This was stated by a US official according to the New York Times, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The Nimitz has spent the past few weeks sailing along the coast of South America on a planned training deployment, conducting exercises with the Brazilian navy in recent days.
Welcome to the Caribbean, Nimitz Carrier Strike Group!
The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), the embarked Carrier Air Wing 17 (CVW-17), USS Gridley (DDG 101) and USNS Patuxent (T-AO 201) are the epitome of readiness and presence, unmatched reach and lethality, and strategic…
— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom)
The hope of radical change
Although many Cubans appear divided over the legality of the US assassination charges against Raul Castro, hope for developments that could ease their suffering is widespread. “This has to change” they say, while remaining in the dark.
With widespread blackouts on the island plagued by fuel shortages, as well as problematic phone signal, news of the new, sharp escalation of American pressure on the Cuban government has been slow to reach many of Cuba’s own residents.
Caught between the entanglements of an oppressive regime and crippling US sanctions, Cubans who learned the news from dimmed smartphones and old televisions were divided over the legitimacy of the US charges. Those charges charge Castro with murder and conspiracy in connection with the 1996 downing of two airliners that killed four people, including three Americans.
The Cubans are exhausted
Deteriorating living conditions in Cuba have led to a growing number of protests, but experts say it is unlikely that the protests will develop into a popular uprising that will threaten the regime.
Reliable polls are rare in Cuba. A recent survey by the Cuban news website El Toque, which collected more than 40,000 responses, found that about 56% of Cubans residing on the island, and nearly 70% of those living abroad, would support a US military intervention.
Although the results of the survey – which collected responses from voluntary participants – cannot be considered a representative poll, its findings likely reflect the exhaustion of many Cubans, said Professor Michael J. Bustamante, professor of history and holder of the Cuban and Cuban American Studies Chair at the University of Miami.
“I don’t think this means that Cubans enjoy the idea of a foreign power coming to solve their problems,” Professor Bustamante said. “But I think people are so desperate and desperate that they will accept help wherever they can get it.”
