Inside Politics with Hugh Linehan Why is the US blocking oil imports to Cuba?
Mar 4, 2026
Hannah McCarthy, an Irish Times journalist who reported from Cuba, describes the impact of tightened US oil restrictions. She discusses the US naval blockade and threats to Mexico and Venezuela. She highlights rolling blackouts, transport failures and the shrinking daily life for Cubans. She outlines shifting regional alliances, emigration pressures and risks of humanitarian collapse.
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Local Stories Of Obama-Era Windfall
- A vintage car driver said he was earning several hundred dollars a day during the Obama thaw.
- An Irish-American bar owner reported everyone was making money then, illustrating the real boost tourism gave locals.
Memory Of Obama Era Raises Current Frustration
- Cubans remember a brief prosperous period during the Obama thaw that raised living standards quickly.
- That recent swing from better times to rapid decline makes the current crisis harder to bear mentally.
Mass Emigration Has Drained Cuba's Youth
- Cuba is experiencing a significant brain drain with large emigration in recent years.
- Young Cubans pursue passports (often via Spanish ancestry) or routes through Latin America as escape plans.