PODCAST:
May 20, 2026 ~ Chris Renwick and Lloyd Jackson spoke with Silvia Pedraza, international sociology professor at the University of Michigan, about the Cuba crisis. They discussed oil shortages, military tensions, and increased migration.
CUBA ~ U.S. foreign policy has plunged the island nation of Cuba into chaos as the nation runs out of oil amid a blockade and as fears grow over potential U.S. military intervention.
The island nation has been under a de facto, U.S.-led blockade since January that has cut off most oil shipments, with President Donald Trump signing an executive order that threatens tariffs against nations that supply oil to Cuba. The Trump administration claims Cuba is a national security threat to the U.S. due to its ties to “hostile countries,” in turn offering the nation $100 million in aid if the nation makes political reforms.
Cuba has faced energy blackouts for months, causing distruptions of the nation’s healthcare system and widespread food spoilage. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel blamed the U.S. for his country’s current plight due to what he called the U.S.’s “genocidal energy blockade.”
Small protests have erupted in Havana in recent weeks, demanding that power be restored.
The U.S. and Cuba have had a strained relationship going back to the late 1950s, when communist revolutionary Fidel Castro ousted the U.S.-aligned dictator Fulgencio Batista from power. The U.S. has been staunchly against the communist government located about 90 miles from its mainland, imposing an embargo on the nation for decades.
