Kathrine Frich
President Donald Trump has long had his sights on Cuba.
When a country manages a major conflict in the Middle East, its leaders usually focus entirely on that region.
Directing a war takes time. It drains military resources.
But sometimes, a completely different part of the world quietly moves to the top of the priority list.
A shift in focus
President Donald Trump is setting his sights on Cuba. The United States continues to issue threats regarding strikes on Iran. Even so, Washington is actively turning its attention closer to home.
The current administration wants the communist regime in Havana to collapse. Short of that, they want massive reforms.
To make this happen, the American government is rapidly building up its intelligence operations. This dramatic push could even escalate into a military operation, according to the Daily Express.
Pushing for change
People familiar with the situation note that the ongoing tensions with Tehran are not slowing things down.
“Iran doesn’t need to be solved before we go there,” one source told Politico.
The island has clearly become a “huge priority” for Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He recently suggested the foreign regime is running out of time. They must meet American demands for change.
His department published a document last month. It accused the nation of committing illegal acts for decades.
Intelligence on the ground
Another official claimed Cuba is “exporting the anti-colonial, Third Worldist resentment now taking root within our own institutions”, according to an email obtained by Politico.
To force a political shift, American spies have recently landed on the island. The CIA footprint is growing.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe actually travelled there in May. He arrived to demand major governmental reforms. Just days later, the US Justice Department filed criminal charges against former Cuban President Raúl Castro.
The legal action focuses on the deaths of four people. They died trying to rescue exiles at sea in 1996. Castro served as the national defence minister back then.
Looking at all options
The administration is ready to use every available method. They want a new political reality for the island.
Government officials are preparing to “pursue all the conventional tools, including intelligence community resources”, a source told Politico.
Despite the aggressive intelligence gathering, a full-scale armed conflict is not the primary goal. A second source claimed that Trump actually “prefers diplomacy” to get the results he wants.
Sources: Daily Express, Politico
