A MS NOW segment argues Trump may be preparing a Cuba operation after Venezuela and Iran, but the guest says Cuba is a much harder target than Venezuela and that external pressure may actually strengthen the Cuban leadership.
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The transcript frames Cuba as the next possible focus in a Trump foreign-policy pattern that previously targeted Venezuela and Iran. The intro alleges military assets are entering the Caribbean, the CIA is on the ground, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio is publicly describing Cuba as a national security threat while the Cuban UN ambassador calls the U.S. posture a pretext for aggression. The segment also highlights Cuba’s worsening humanitarian and energy crisis, including fuel shortages, rolling blackouts, and the arrival of the aircraft carrier Nimitz in the southern Caribbean. The interview centers on Lissandro Perez, a professor and chair of Latin American Studies at John Jay College, who argues that an operation against Cuba would be far less straightforward than the Venezuela playbook. …
Near term, this is mostly a geopolitical headline risk: rhetoric and military signaling around Cuba can intensify quickly, but the transcript does not establish an imminent operational move. The immediate risk is overreading the setup before there is evidence of internal Cuban fracture or a concrete U.S. action.
Over the coming weeks, the likely path is continued pressure, sanctions-style signaling, and Cuban hardening rather than a quick regime breakthrough. The thesis weakens if Washington cannot convert pressure into insider defections or if the Caribbean force posture proves temporary.
Structurally, the segment argues that Cuba is a poor fit for copy-paste regime-change tactics from Venezuela. The lasting implication is that external coercion may repeatedly strengthen Havana’s cohesion, making U.S. pressure more symbolic than transformative.
Trump is now focused on Cuba after Venezuela and Iran.
The opening narration explicitly sequences Venezuela, Iran, then Cuba as the next target of attention.
U.S. military assets are entering the Caribbean as part of the pressure campaign.
The intro links Caribbean force posture to the Cuba story, though the transcript does not verify operational intent in detail.
Marco Rubio is directly framing Cuba as a national security threat to justify possible action.
The transcript quotes Rubio calling Cuba a national security threat and saying the president has an obligation to address it.
Why do you think an operation against Cuba might not be as straightforward as what Trump pulled off in Venezuela?
Perez says Cuba has stronger internal cohesion, better protection for Raúl Castro, and a military elite personally loyal to him, making a quick break harder than in Venezuela.
What would abducting or capturing Raúl Castro symbolize, and would it matter strategically?
Perez says it would be symbolically powerful, especially for Cuban Americans who want accountability, but it would be hard to imagine and unlikely to change regime behavior.
Is this a real strategic doctrine or more a South Florida political/cultural gesture?
Perez says it would have symbolic impact but not a real regime-changing effect; external threats tend to unify Cubans and help the leadership rally support.
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