Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy #1782 Cuba's Crisis: Trump's Deadly Embargo, Blackouts, and Dream of Regime Change
Apr 3, 2026
On-the-ground reporters and convoy participants, activists and journalists reporting from Cuba, describe humanitarian needs and life under blackout and blockade. They discuss the convoy’s aid — medicine, solar panels and generators — and the legal, historical and geopolitical forces behind the oil cutoff and U.S. policy toward Cuba. Firsthand testimonies highlight resilience amid shortages.
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Oil Cutoff Functioned As A Deadly Blockade
- The Jan 29 oil cutoff is described as a de facto blockade that caused nationwide blackouts and health emergencies.
- Reporters cite 3,000 dialysis patients at risk and disrupted refrigeration, trash collection, and medical supply chains.
Blockade Strategy Was Deliberately Designed Decades Ago
- U.S. policy toward Cuba long targeted civilian hardship as leverage, traced to a 1960 Mallory memo advocating denial of money and supplies.
- The podcast argues vocabulary shifted from 'starve them' to neutral terms like 'sanctions' to hide intent.
Reporter Witnessed Blackouts And People Playing Dominoes By Phone Light
- Hassan Piker recounts experiencing rolling blackouts and using a solar generator to keep broadcasts running in Cuba.
- He describes streets going pitch dark and people playing dominoes by phone light despite power loss.