Why Cuba is Key in the Global Power Shift

Original article: ¿Por qué Cuba?

By Florencia Lagos Neumann, Master in Contemporary History and International Relations.

The United States, the world’s strongest military power, is experiencing a decline in its global dominance. There is nothing more perilous than a power losing its grip on the world.

Capitalism is facing a crisis due to the collapse of the speculative financial system and its real foundation: the dollar. Unlike BRICS nations, whose currencies have tangible backing, the dollar lacks such support.

BRICS is a coalition of countries from Africa, Eurasia, and Latin America that prioritizes economic exchange through the local currencies of its members. This group spans over a third of the world’s land area and includes nearly 49.5% of the global population.

BRICS countries account for about 40% of global GDP, surpassing the G7 (France, USA, Canada, Japan, United Kingdom, Italy, and Germany), which sits around 30%. Additionally, they represent approximately 26% of global trade.

The emergence of BRICS poses a threat to the United States, as this alliance of rising powers signifies a shift in the global order. Experts suggest that we are in one of the most dangerous moments in the history of international relations.

In response to losing its dominance, the U.S. government resorts to military force to address conflicts. The current international framework does not reflect the historical moment we are experiencing. The genocide against Palestine and Cuba, at no cost to the aggressors, exemplifies this failure.

Indeed, the fate of humanity is at stake in the Middle East and the Caribbean.

Given these circumstances, the U.S. seeks refuge in what it calls its “backyard”: Latin America and the Caribbean. This is why they are reviving the Monroe Doctrine, which fundamentally advocates for “America for Americans”.

Why Cuba?

As highlighted in the article “Sinking Cuba” by historian and director of the Fidel Castro Center, René Gonzales Barrios: “Due to its geographic position and the economic, political, and military importance of its possession, Cuba has been, from the early days of the emergence of the United States, a longed-for and prized jewel for successive northern governments.”

The largest of the Antilles serves as a gateway to Latin America and the Caribbean. Should the United States subdue Cuba, it could dominate the region’s maritime circuit, becoming the main trade route.

This strategy aims to eliminate China’s and Russia’s presence from Latin America and reclaim what the U.S. considers its territory.

The crisis of the capitalist system has intensified the contradiction between the Western bloc—comprising NATO countries—and the Euro-Asian axis of China and Russia.

However, seizing Cuba has proven a daunting task for the Northern Empire. Over six decades of a commercial and financial blockade have sought to suffocate the island, inflicting hardship on its population in hopes that they will drive a political system change in favor of U.S. interests.

Despite the sanctions, Cuba has developed a socialist system, achieving significant progress in education, health, science, culture, and sports. The Cuban people and their leaders throughout history have demonstrated resilience, dignity, and stoicism.

René Gonzales, director of the Fidel Castro Center, recalled: “President Theodore Roosevelt, praised today by Miami annexationists as Cuba’s Liberator, expressed in September 1906 during the second U.S. military intervention on the island: ‘I am so angry with that infernal little Cuban republic that I would like to erase its people from the face of the earth.’.” This sentiment mirrors that of businessman Cyrus Duvall, as reported by the Washington Post on August 13, 1900: ‘If I could just sink the island for half an hour…If all living things could be removed and the land purified with fire and water, repopulated by Americans, it would then be a paradise on earth.‘

The politics of hatred and extermination regarding Cuba spans over two centuries. Now, Trump intensifies the genocidal plan against the island, enforcing a naval blockade that prevents oil shipments.

The consequences are alarming, with children in hospitals facing death due to a lack of electricity and medical supplies, and universities and schools affected by this lethal U.S. policy.

Nevertheless, the Cuban people endure. Now, more than ever, they need the solidarity of the world, which owes so much to the Cuban Revolution.

In this context, the role of BRICS countries is crucial. Cuba is an associate member, and defending the right of the largest of the Antilles to exist is to uphold the fundamental principles of a civilized world.

Throughout history, nations worldwide can attest to having been aided by Cuban doctors and teachers. Today, it is our chance: Cuba holds the key to humanity’s destiny.

Florencia Lagos Neumann