Cuba poses on going threat to both Europe, U.S. and beyond say experts

ROME – This week the assembly of the Cuban opposition headed by Orlando Gutierrez Boronat, convened in Rome at the European Gulf Information Council (EGIC) headquarters to discuss the often down-played political status of the country and whether it still poses a threat to the West and their allies. 

 Only last year it was noted by Dr. Boronat, Coordinator of the Assemblea de la Resistencia Cubana (ARC), that Cuba was closer than ever to overthrowing the Castro regime, following the uprising of 2021 and an increased period of instability but this year things do not necessarily look more hopeful. The Castro regime is still function and Cuba runs as though it were a ‘mafia-state’ meaning that the son of Raúl Castro, Alessandro, who is not often seen but who’s presence is definitely felt, holds a lot of power that has not yet dwindled. The council reminded us that while it may seem that the regime is instable because the government or state-machine is not particular well-oiled, lacking internet, computers, modern technology this is ultimately immaterial given the fact that the state has total control of everyone and everything. 

 Boronat warned the council of the on-going threat posed by Cuba to both their own citizens and the West, while noting that they are slowly increasing their power both through propaganda and military training in Ukraine. 

 “How many college students have a badge or sticker of Che Guevara on their bags?” It may seem like a throw away point but the victory of Cubans in the propaganda war is evident, which was discussed during the panel. The panel made it clear in no uncertain terms that Che Guevara and Fidel Castro were violent and bloody men, yet in a society that is growing increasingly suspicious of American imperialism and the West as a block, many young people view Guevara and Castro as the anthesis to these governments and thus, idolise them. There is a clear cult of personality surrounding Guevara and, while it may be easy to flippantly dismiss this, given the irony of students purchasing mass-produced T-shirts plastered with the face of a communist revolutionary, who certainly did not align himself with modern “left-wing” ideals, we must admit that we have lost the cultural-propaganda war and this is something that cannot be ignored. 

 More pressing, however, is Cuba’s involvement in Ukraine, where Cuban soldiers are learning and training in real-time how to operate effectively in modern warfare, which could pose an immediate security threat, the council warned. President Trump’s position on both Cuba could also inflate tensions in the area. Historically America has always taken the lead on the Cuban issue but now it could be time for Europe and its allies to step in, if Trump takes a lenient approach not only to Cuba but also Venezuela. Cuba does not exist in a vacuum but serves rather as a platform for communism and its regime thus, is always looking for new opportunities to strengthen their ties and influence in other countries such as Venezuela. Thus, they need to both be treated as though they are the same threat and the same entity.

 The closing remarks of the meeting made by the Director of the EGIC, were as thus, we need to take a more “holistic approach” to how we view the Cuban issue. It is not merely a financially stunted isolated state, as it is so often dismissed as, but rather one that is growing in influence and taking advantage of other conflicts in the world to grow in that strength. 

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