Reports indicate that food shortages and power outages have brought Cuba to the brink of collapse, and protests have persisted this week over the island’s worst economic and energy crisis.
On Tuesday, March 19th, Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida went on X to blame Cuba’s lengthy history of Marxist rule for the catastrophic condition. According to Rubio, Marxism always results in shortages, starvation, and poverty, which is why Cuba is about to fall.
In an interview, Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío suggested that the U.S.’ long-standing embargoes caused the food shortages.
Rubio, who is a staunch opponent of the Cuban regime, used social media to refute these accusations.
The State Department urged Havana to uphold the rights of the demonstrators and address the legitimate demands of the Cuban people, prompting Fernández de Cossío to accuse the U.S. of obvious involvement in Cuba’s internal affairs. The remarks were insulting, and de Cossío added that they were cynical and hypocritical since they alluded to situations in Cuba that the U.S. government is involved in and responsible for.
Cuba has been subject to economic and financial embargoes imposed by the United States since the start of the 1960s, except for some food goods that may be sent to the island country for private consumption rather than government consumption.
Rubio reaffirmed that the United States has no food embargo on Cuba. Last year, Cuba accepted more than $300 million worth of food and goods from the United States.
On Tuesday, the State Department asked the Cuban government to abstain from assault and arbitrary arrests and urged authorities to respect the rights of Cuban citizens for peaceful assembly, as reported by deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel.
Protests have taken place across multiple cities in Cuba, demanding water, food, electricity, and basic liberty.
Cubans in and out of the island shared videos of protestors shouting in the streets on social media sites. Cuba is now experiencing a severe energy and economic crisis. Inflation, food shortages, and worsening periods of blackouts have all contributed to the island’s residents’ mounting misery under communist rule.
