7am ‘Cuba’s next’: Can anything stop Trump?
Apr 1, 2026
Ruaridh Nicoll, Havana-based journalist reporting on Cuban politics and society. He describes crippling oil shortages and daily blackouts. He discusses Cuba’s reliance on Venezuela and the shock of Maduro’s removal. He explores protests, the Morón incident, and fears stirred by Trump’s “Cuba’s next” rhetoric. He examines targeted US pressure and the limited international responses.
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Oil Blockade Has Collapsed Daily Life
- Cuba's acute shortages are driven by a recent US oil blockade that halted most fuel imports since January 31, worsening preexisting multi-year economic decline.
- Ruaridh Nicoll describes closed schools, broken transport, trash pileups, worsening blackouts and nightly pot-banging protests as everyday consequences.
Loss Of Venezuelan Support Deepened Crisis
- Venezuela's oil support under Hugo Chavez propped up Cuba after the Soviet loss, and Maduro's weakening left Cuba exposed when that lifeline ended.
- Nicoll links Maduro's removal and the death of 32 Cuban protectors to an immediate halt in oil arrivals and national shock.
Small Noisy Protests Start With Desperate Mothers
- Protests in Cuba are rare and risky because participants face long jail terms, so demonstrations tend to be small acts like banging pots across cities at night.
- Nicoll notes protests often begin with desperate mothers seeking baby milk, then grow as neighbours join, not mass uprisings like Iran.