The United States under President Donald Trump is intensifying pressure on Cuba in ways that analysts say increasingly resemble Washington’s approach towards Venezuela before the dramatic January operation that removed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from power. Yet despite comparisons between Caracas and Havana, experts believe Cuba presents a far more complex, risky and potentially costly challenge for Washington.
The debate over possible American intervention escalated sharply after the Trump administration indicted former Cuban president Raúl Castro over the 1996 shootdown of two Brothers to the Rescue aircraft. The indictment was unveiled at Miami’s Freedom Tower, a symbolic site closely associated with Cuban exiles in the United States. Critics of the move say the timing and location underline its political significance, especially among Cuban-American hardliners in Florida, a key political constituency for Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
