Cuba on the Brink of Collapse as Blackouts and U.S. Pressure Push Society to the Edge

Cuba's national grid collapsed for the third time in ten days on Tuesday, causing widespread frustration among the 9.5 million residents of the 777-mile island. The country has been under a six-month U.S. oil blockade as part of a pressure campaign to topple its communist government. However, the poor state of Cuba's infrastructure dates back much further. "The backbone of the system is still the big power plants," said Jorge Piñon, a senior energy researcher at the University of Texas. "And they're old, broken and tired."

With summer temperatures in the mid-30s Celsius and humidity at 80%, public anger is rising. National blackouts merge with already existing local outages. Streets once filled with salsa music now echo with the sound of pots and pans being banged—cacerolazo protests—symbolizing shared misery: sleepless nights, spoiled food, and fading hope. Electricity returns only sporadically. "An hour isn't enough time to run the pump to get water or to charge phones," a man yelled in Havana last week.

The government says it has few options. "We've said it before, there is a total absence of fuel," said Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy. "And we do not have access to spare parts for our thermoelectric units." U.S. pressure intensified since January 3, when the U.S. military abducted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and Donald Trump has promised Cuba will fall. "Whether I free it, take it, I think I can do anything I want with it," he told reporters in March.

Washington uses sanctions to destroy Cuba's industries. Foreign companies, from hotel operators to miners, are being driven out. For example, Canadian nickel miner Sherritt plans to sell its interests to former Trump adviser Ray Washburne. "We have seven containers in Kingston and another 40 in China, but we have no idea when, or if, they will arrive," said an electric car importer. In May, a Florida court charged 95-year-old Raúl Castro with murder for the 1990s downing of planes, opening the possibility of extradition.

Fuel shortages have left streets almost empty. Crime is rising: street fights, car and house break-ins, muggings with violence. Police, once ubiquitous, are now hard to find. The number of political prisoners has risen to 1,306, according to Madrid-based Prisoners Defenders. For instance, Héctor Ochoa Vergara was detained after a peaceful demonstration against blackouts and water shortages.

Artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, Cuba's most famous political prisoner, left for exile in the U.S. on Saturday after serving a five-year sentence. The government's apparent unity is strained. For months, the U.S. has leaked discussions on a possible deal for political and economic reforms, channeled through Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, grandson of Raúl Castro. Last week, the 42-year-old gave an interview to USA Today, inviting reporters to his grandfather's old office and then to a restaurant. He wore Hermès sneakers, a Rolex watch, and carried official documents in a Salvatore Ferragamo bag. "It pains me that many people can't live the way I do," he said, adding that while not interested in politics, "if at some point the revolution needs me to step up, I will do it."

This caused outrage. "To usurp the functions of government, to assume a public role for which no one elected you, to proclaim yourself spokesperson for new directions... would anyone else be allowed to do that?" wrote Michel Torres Corona, host of a state propaganda show. Michael Bustamante of the University of Miami sees the interview as a sign of collapsing negotiations, calling it "a cry for relevance."

War drums are banging in the U.S. again. Jeb Bush, former Florida governor, stood next to an Iranian Shahed drone at the Biltmore hotel and tried to link Cuba with Iran over unconfirmed reports that Cuba bought 300 attack drones. "I think it's important to recognize that Iran has consistently been working with Cuba," he said. Trump followed up: "We're not going to allow that to happen."

The Cuban government announced 176 measures to expand the private sector and invite investment, but the U.S. State Department called them "superficial smoke signals." The grid was reconnected at 7 a.m. Wednesday, but subsequent blackouts have been worse. Laura Garcia, an illustrator and single mother from Havana, said neighbors live only in the present. "What I hear is a level of desperation that doesn't allow the distance to discuss the future," she said. She had just gone 72 hours without power and muttered: "What has to fall doesn't fall."