Trump Aims to Steer Cuba Toward Greater Dependence on the US.

The article focuses on the Trump administration’s strategy to increase Cuba’s dependence on the United States for fuel supplies by easing shipments to the island’s emerging private sector, aiming to leverage this dependence to induce political and economic change. This approach includes allowing U.S. energy companies to sell oil and fuel to Cuban small and medium-sized private businesses and authorizing the resale of Venezuelan oil to Cuba under favorable licensing, while maintaining restrictions on sales benefiting the Cuban government. The strategy emerges amid Cuba’s acute energy crisis caused by disrupted oil imports and seeks to empower the private sector as a legitimate partner, despite ongoing tensions exemplified by a recent deadly encounter between Cuban authorities and U.S.-based Cubans. The administration also reportedly engages in talks to replace Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, reflecting a broader goal to weaken the Communist Party’s control after decades of rule. [Extracted from the article]