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The Conversation
The Conversation
Joseph J. Gonzalez, Associate Professor of Global Studies, Appalachian State University

‘We are waiting for the Americans to save us’ – in crisis, Cubans have given up on reform from within

A woman peeks out from the doorway of her home in Havana, Cuba, on May 6, 2026. Yamil LAge/AFP via Getty Images

When I first visited Cuba, the island was recovering from a severe economic crisis. It was 1996, and the collapse of the Soviet Union had ushered in a prolonged period of deprivation and hardship.

On my latest visit, in early June, I encountered yet another crisis, a slow-motion humanitarian disaster.

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