Saturday, June 13, 2026

The long, strained history between US and Cuba

The long, strained history between US and Cuba

The long, strained history between US and Cuba

by Denise Oliver Velez
Contributor
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A person stands behind a U.S. and Cuban flag, with the words, "Caribbean Matters" overlayed.
AP (original image)

Caribbean Matters is a weekly series from Daily Kos. Hope you’ll join us here every Saturday. If you are unfamiliar with the region, check out “Caribbean Matters: Getting to know the countries of the Caribbean.“

There’s a very long history between the United States and Cuba. And though many Cuban Americans are staunch supporters of racist right-wing efforts like the blockade against Cuba, there’s also a history of progressive support for Cuban causes. I’ve gathered together a selection of available materials from differing perspectives to explore this history and the current situation with the Trump administration.

First, I very strongly suggest that, if you are interested in this history, you read the Pulitzer prize-winning  book “Cuba: An American History” by historian Dr. Ada Ferrer.

From ITV News:

Historian Ada Ferrer on Cuba’s crisis, U.S. sanctions, and family separation

Ada Ferrer on her book, “Cuba: An American History”

Ada Ferrer reflects on family history and forces shaping Cuba and the U.S. in new memoir

Here a sample of current Associated Press coverage:

Trump’s sanctions on Cuba are a ‘pretext’ for military action, diplomat says

PBS reports on President Donald Trump:

Trump says he’ll ‘take care’ of Cuba, ‘you could have beautiful resorts’ there

I was surprised to see that the Venceremos Brigade is still active.

Venceremos Brigade:

Over the past 56 years, the Venceremos Brigade has given nearly 10,000 people from the U.S. the opportunity for a life-changing experience in Cuba.

Cuba is the only country on earth that US citizens can’t travel to freely.

Support the movement to end the U.S.-imposed economic blockade and travel ban. Learn more about the Venceremos Brigade and become part of an intentional community of revolutionary practice, see Cuba with your own eyes and act in international solidarity and struggle.

Venceremos Brigade: Why we continue to visit Cuba

Message from Jorge Luis Peña, clerk of Cuba Yearly Meeting

From The BBC:

Revolution, secret plots, and a nuclear standoff: How Cuba and the U.S. fell out

From New York Times Opinion:

What Cubans Really Think About Trump

Thousands rally in Cuba in support of Raúl Castro after U.S. indictment

Despite pressure from the Trump Administration, Mexico has tried to supply aid to Cuba.

Mexico defends Cuba oil shipments as humanitarian aid

Where do you stand on Cuba? Have you ever been there? Please join me in the comments below to discuss.

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  1. Comment by murphy.

    Been there twice- 1977 and 2018. Very different experiences. The first time might well have been with Vinceremos, I frankly can’t remember. We had to sneak through Mexico City and make sure our passports weren’t stamped when we got to Havana. The second time was in 2018, with a direct flight from LAX to Havana. Lots of vivid memories from both trips which I will share later…

  2. Comment by spacecadet1.

    I've always thought that the people in Cuba who think they're going to be better off after the Castro/Diaz-Canel government is ousted by the US Marines are in for a rude shock. I'll bet dollars to donuts that some of the Miami Cubans who got out in 1959 (and their descendants) were landowners under Batista and that they're still holding old title deeds. And they're going to expect the Marines to evict the current occupants by bayonet point, I'll bet they're counting the AirBnB money as we speak.

  3. Comment by NickyZ.

    I well remember the scene in the movie "The Godfather, Part Two" of Hyman Roth's birthday in Havana. All the Dons were gathered there. The cake decoration was the island of Cuba. After the cake was shown to all the Dons it was carved up. There was no way to miss the symbolism there.

  4. Comment by mettle fatigue.

    Reblogged around Daily Kos

  5. Comment by mettle fatigue.

    Thankyou floral abstract

  6. Comment by hissing kitty.

    During my guest relation duties at LAX, I once met the Cuban ambassador from the Solomon Islands. He was traveling through LAX for a stopover en route to getting his flight to Havana (via Mexico).

    He was an eloquent, charming man who spoke with me in both Spanish and English. While I got him set up for his hotel transport, we discussed a travel book I'd read about his nation ("Solomon Time" by Will Randall). I told him I wanted to visit Cuba, but things were again closing down for Americans. He said Cuba was worth visiting, and the tropical environment reminded him of his home nation.

    This was in The Before Times, and I wonder how he fared during Covid.

    As some know, I had lots of interaction with Cuban athletes during my journalism days, and I treasure those memories. We hated politics, but not each other.

    • Reply by Denise Oliver Velez.

      author

      Thanks for sharing

  7. Comment by Andrew F Cockburn.

    We visited Cuba in 2018 on a Road Scholar trip. It was totally unlike what I had expected.

    I had crossed over into East Berlin in the 1980s. Everything was gray and the few people I saw on the street looked drab and joyless. Later in Australia I met a guy who had been born in East Germany but had been brought out by his parents when he was little. He said the most depressing thing he had ever experienced was returning to visit relatives there. I expected something along those lines, maybe with better weather.

    Instead the people we met and saw on the streets were cheerful and friendly. That didn't mean they were satisfied- we heard lots of unsolicited criticism of their government, the US government, and their economic situation. They weren't holding back because of some fear of secret police dragging them away in the dead of night. The only police we saw were directing traffic, and unlike US cops were not armed.

    Almost everyone we met had a side gig. Government employees are ridiculously underpaid. For example, a doctor who was the head of the provincial health department had a nail salon set up in her living room to get some extra cash.

    Most people had ties to the US through friends or family members who had moved to the US or traveled there. The major way of circumventing the US trade embargo was people who got shopping lists from others (there were online sites for that) and would bop over to Miami, buy the stuff, and take it back with them in their luggage.

    They all hated the trade embargo but they were friendly to us tourists. I wouldn't have been so welcoming.

    All in all it was one of the most enjoyable places I have ever visited. It makes me sick that our leaders have demonized it for more than 70 years.

    • Reply by Denise Oliver Velez.

      author

      Thanks for sharing that

    • Reply by hissing kitty.

      The Cuban athletes and officials I interacted with were all wonderful. I soon learned to bring extra goodies to distribute, as I did for the Soviet squad. The girls were mad for hairstyle and fashion magazines, the guys wanted automotive and motorcycle titles. Cosmetics, hair product, razors, you name it. This was the late 90's and early 2000's.

      I brought instant coffee for my coach pals (most Cuban grown coffee was exported, where it fetched the sum of almost $50 a cup in some Moscow cafes.) They had supplies of cigars and the original Havana Club rum. We drank and talked long into many a night at dreary hotel bars in Varna, Prague, Moscow and more. i learned to smoke my first cigar back then, a habit I did not continue. But it was a rich tobacco, Havana made.

      Havana was gearing up to host the 1991 Pan American Games. The Cuban delegation admitted things would be Stalinist stark at the venues. Couldn't get accreditation (super restricted) but friends who who did said the arenas were concrete, plain, and not air conditioned. But the Cuban fans were vocal and supportive (they always are) and fun was still had.

    • Reply by hissing kitty.

      Oops! Late 80's early 90's!

    • Reply by Andrew F Cockburn.

      The Cubans I talked to had a very low opinion of the Soviet Union. There are still brutalist apartment buildings from that era all over the country which they think are horrible. They also think the Russians who were in Cuba were generally assholes.

  8. Comment by kraigo.

    Thanks, Miss Denise! When shopping for a book, I always look first at The Literate Lizard, which is run by kossak Debtors Prison. He runs a kossak discount, which you can find in any of his Tuesday night Non-fiction Views articles.

    He has the book here:

    https://theliteratelizard.com/book/9781501154560

    • Reply by Denise Oliver Velez.

      author

      Thanks for linking

  9. Comment by Robpos.

    Thank you Denise. I found Jorge Luis Peña’s message quite interesting and inspiring. I was not aware that there was a Quaker presence on the island, but I’m not surprised that there is one.

    I wish there were a country in this hemisphere that we didn’t have a strained history with. Even when we have an accommodating government in place, such as the Batista regime in the 50’s, repression and criminality remain our chief exports to the rest of the hemisphere.

    • Reply by Denise Oliver Velez.

      author

      Rugbymom is a quaker who goes to Cuba

    • Reply by Robpos.

      Thank you, once again.

      I don’t recall reading anything from Rugbymom , but I will keep an eye out for her, going forward.

    • Reply by Denise Oliver Velez.

      author

      She posts in APR and talks about Cuba

  10. Comment by Jackson L Haveck.

    Things I don't understand...

    1. Why are we, in effect, at war with Cuba? After all, the sort of blockade we are imposing -- with the intent to cause as much harm as possible -- is an act of war. What did Cuba do that supposedly prompted this enhanced viciousness?

    2. Why is the press -- and Congress -- and virtually everyone else -- paying no attention to this and asking no questions, and requiring no answers? Why does seemingly almost no one in this country seem to care?

    • Reply by lpeacock.

      Good questions. Democrats on both the House and Senate have been trying to stop the mfg, to no avail.

  11. Comment by burningbright.

    Thank you, Denise

    • Reply by Denise Oliver Velez.

      author

      Yw

  12. Comment by hullshape.

    Good morning Denise and thank you!

    I don't think a person should critique the victim of petty, immature, vindictive bullying until the bullying has been fully addressed.

    • Reply by lpeacock.


 

 

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