CUBA BETWEEN SIEGE AND RESILIENCE - Cristina Di Silvio - ETHICA SOCIETAS-Rivista di scienze umane e sociali

The American embargo, denied oil, and the push toward regime change

Abstract: The energy and social crisis currently affecting Cuba in the context of a renewed economic and political siege is examined through direct testimonies and a geopolitical analysis. The contribution explores the role of U.S. sanctions, the use of oil as a tool of coercion, and the island’s international responses, particularly its relations with Russia and China. The analysis highlights the impact of the embargo on the daily lives of citizens and questions the effectiveness of isolation strategies, showing how economic suffocation tends to produce resilience and geopolitical realignments rather than democratic change.

Keywords: #Cuba #Embargo #EnergyCrisis #Geopolitics #Sanctions #USForeignPolicy #Resilience #Sovereignty #SpecialPeriod #Multipolarism #SocialRights #CristinaDiSilvio #EthicaSocietas #EthicaSocietasJournal #ScientificJournal #SocialSciences #ethicasocietasupli

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Introduction – A Crisis That Permeates Everyday Life

Cuba is currently experiencing one of the most critical phases in its recent history. Fuel shortages, prolonged blackouts that paralyze cities and hospitals, and the disruption of essential services turn every daily action into an exercise in resistance. For many citizens, the situation evokes memories of the Special Period of the 1990s, when the collapse of the Soviet Union plunged the island into a deep crisis. Yet the origin of the current emergency is not a global systemic event: it is the direct result of renewed external economic and political pressure, applied through different instruments but driven by the same underlying logic.

Suspended Lives – The Normalization of Emergency

Luis, a taxi driver in Havana, describes a daily routine shaped by uncertainty:

“Every day is a challenge. There’s no gasoline, no generators. Taking the children to school is an ordeal. We don’t know if we’ll make it to the end of the day.”

His voice is not merely a testimony of material hardship, but an expression of enforced patience and accumulated exhaustion. The energy crisis affects far more than the economy: it impacts mobility, healthcare, access to education, and ultimately reshapes the very boundaries of social life.

An Island Accustomed to Resistance – The Historical Continuity of the Siege

Cuba’s history is one of structural resistance. As early as 1960, little more than a year after the Revolution, the island entered into strategic agreements with the USSR to ensure economic survival and political protection. Today, in a multipolar world, Havana seeks new balances between Moscow and Beijing, attempting to escape an isolation that has taken on increasingly sophisticated forms.

Oil as a Political Weapon

In recent years, U.S. pressure has focused explicitly on the energy sector. The American administration has made it clear that oil has become a tool of geopolitical coercion: Mexico has been threatened with tariffs should it continue supplying crude oil to Cuba. The strategy is explicit—strangle the economy to weaken the government.

A central figure in this approach is Marco Rubio, a prominent representative of the Cuban exile community in Miami, who has openly declared the goal of regime change, describing the Cuban government as “a huge problem.” In this framework, Cuba becomes not only a political target, but an ideological symbol to be subdued.

International Responses and New Alliances

The Cuban government has responded by strengthening international ties. During a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez denounced U.S. pressure as coercive and contrary to international law. Lavrov described the energy blockade as “unacceptable” and reaffirmed Russia’s willingness to continue bilateral cooperation. China has also reiterated its support for Cuba’s sovereignty, reaffirming a multipolar logic in opposition to unilateral sanctions.

Surviving Under Embargo – Creativity and Adaptation

Meanwhile, the population confronts the crisis through daily strategies of adaptation: improvised transportation, extreme energy saving, and community-based solutions. Every decision is measured in liters of fuel or available kilowatts. Survival becomes shared knowledge—a collective exercise in ingenuity and solidarity.

Beyond the Embargo – A Geopolitical Lesson

More than sixty years after the beginning of the embargo, U.S. strategy remains essentially unchanged: suffocate the economy in the hope of producing political change. History, however, shows that economic asphyxiation does not generate democracy, but rather institutional rigidity, radicalization, and new alliances.

Cuba thus continues to represent a laboratory of geopolitical and social resilience—an island that, despite being crushed by external pressures, refuses to yield and continues to assert its right to write its own history.