Washington declares Cuba a ‘threat to the western hemisphere’

The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has sought to suggest that Havana poses a ‘threat’ to the whole of the Western Hemisphere, warning of Cuban involvement with leftist groups across the Americas, in the US, and globally. Addressing a US ‘Ministerial Conference on the Resurgence of Political Terrorism’ held in Washington on 16 July, Rubio said that “the Cuban regime’s extensive intelligence and ideological network contributed to the consolidation of the extreme left in our country and in our hemisphere.” Emphasising that Cuban policy and Castroism in the eyes of the Trump Administration “remains inextricably linked to far-left groups and movements in the West and beyond,” he suggested that such contacts do not involve “isolated and distinct cells, but interconnected networks” that do not recognise borders and do not believe in the nation-state. In remarks intended to broaden international and domestic political support for US policy towards Cuba, he suggested that Havana has provided diplomatic, political, and ideological support for leftist groups internationally for decades, observing that they “coordinate, communicate, travel, train, and act together, sharing the same infrastructure, the same enemies, and the same mission.” Separately, Breitbart News cited an unnamed State Department official as saying that a report is being prepared indicating how “for almost seven decades” Cuba has played a central role in “virtually all of the most important far-left insurgencies, revolutions, and militant movements in the Western Hemisphere and other regions.” In a message to mark the anniversary of 11/12 July 2021 nationwide street protests that took place across the island, Rubio earlier said that the Trump administration will continue to “use every tool” at its disposal to address the national security threats posed by Cuba, and to drive economic and political reforms that will give Cuba a better future. Cuba’s leaders, he said in a statement, “must simply choose to commit themselves to real reforms, peace and prosperity—before it is too late.” Rubio’s remarks follow a State Department announcement of new sanctions aimed at further degrading the island’s ability to source foreign exchange and its ability to buy essential items. Among the entities newly sanctioned are the country’s Ministry of Tourism and the state-owned port operator GEOMAR. 20 July 2026 The Caribbean Council is able to provide further detail about all the stories in Cuba Briefing. If you would like a more detailed insight into any of the content of today’s issue, please get in touch.