Fresh Air Will President Trump act on his threat to take Cuba?
21 snips
Mar 24, 2026 
Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker staff writer and veteran Latin America correspondent, sketches a debilitated Cuba and why it is vulnerable now. He narrates the economic collapse, healthcare and power failures, Castro family influence, and foreign levers shaping possible change. He warns against simplistic, humiliating talk of takeover and urges learning from past regime-change mistakes.
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Medical System Eroded By Emigration
- Cuba's celebrated healthcare system is collapsing as medical professionals emigrate for better pay.
- Anderson reports specialist doctors left for higher wages abroad, leaving shortages and untreated mosquito-borne diseases like chikungunya among elderly friends.
Lasting Mobilization Culture
- Cuba retains a mobilization culture and reserves ready to be mustered, rooted in Cold War-era civil defense.
- Anderson describes neighborhood reserve call-ups, weapons distribution, and the historical 'zero option' preparations like tunnels and tank traps.
Revolutionary's Dark Joke About Rescue
- A former revolutionary friend joked 'Where's Delta Force?' out of despair, reflecting deep disillusionment with the regime's failure to deliver.
- Anderson says the comment mixed dark humor and existential frustration among older revolutionaries.