Will Cuba’s Communist Government Fall Under Trump?

Cuba’s economy has plunged into crisis: power outages spread across the island, millions have left, and tourism and state revenues have dried up. The Trump administration has tightened a chokehold by cutting off foreign oil, curbing tourist flows and targeting the island’s medical missions, moves that U.S.

officials and many Cuban exiles say could force the government’s collapse. The U.S. measures have effectively halted shipments from Venezuela and limited other suppliers, even as Cuba meets only about 40 percent of its daily oil needs with domestic production. Tariffs and other restrictions on third-party shipments, along with the loss of Venezuelan deliveries, have left officials warning that a prolonged cutoff would paralyze transport, factories and farms.

Diplomatic contacts have been uneven: the White House says it is talking with top Cuban leaders, while Havana denies any talks over political change and rejects capitulation to outside pressure.

Cuba, Havana

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