Podcast Summary: "Why is Cuba in Crisis?"

Throughline (NPR) | Hosts: Rund Abdelfattah & Ramtin Arablouei
Date: March 19, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode of Throughline unravels the roots and realities of Cuba’s ongoing crisis, exploring both external (U.S. sanctions, foreign policy) and internal (government repression, economic mismanagement) factors. Through expert voices, personal accounts, and historical context, the episode traces how the Cuban Revolution shaped the island’s trajectory—from early optimism to present-day hardship. Listeners hear from Cuban citizens, exiles, and historians, culminating in a nuanced portrait of a nation on the brink.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Immediate Crisis: Oil, Blackouts, and Daily Life (00:12–05:22)

• Recent developments:
  • U.S. blocks Venezuelan oil, deepening Cuba’s economic hardship (00:52).
  • Island-wide blackouts, food shortages, and rising unrest.
  • Eloy Vieira (Cuban lawyer/journalist):
    • Describes dire living conditions—lack of electricity, reliance on expensive charcoal, and unsustainable costs for basics.

      "A big bag of charcoal right now in the informal market is like 1500 pesos." (02:36)

    • 1500 pesos equates to ~$62 USD, over a quarter of an average Cuban monthly wage (03:02).
• Codes of discontent:
  • Cubans refer to struggles as “La Cosa” (“the thing”) to avoid repression (03:51).

2. Historical Roots: The Revolution and Dual Embargoes (06:19–23:32)

The Revolution’s Promise and Shift (06:19–13:55)

• Early hopes for democracy and equality:
  • Lillian Guerra (History Professor):
    • Revolution aimed for a nationalist, democratic, and socially progressive Cuba.

      "That was the dream." (07:23)

• Post-revolution changes:
  • Massive land reforms break up U.S.-owned sugar plantations, targeting foreign control (08:10–09:13).
  • Nationalization of U.S. businesses triggers U.S. antagonism (12:24).
• Shift to Communism:
  • Government nationalizes Cuban businesses, tightens state control (13:37).
  • U.S. response: embargo and failed Bay of Pigs invasion.

The Dual Embargoes: External and Internal (14:55–23:32)

• U.S. embargo devastates Cuba’s economy:

  • Halts trade, severs access to essentials (14:55).
  • Cubans initially hopeful embargo is temporary, try for self-sufficiency (15:22).

• Internal blockade:

  • Castro regime nationalizes small businesses; repression intensifies (19:19).
  • Surveillance by Committees for the Defense of the Revolution—“mouth shutters” (19:08–19:40).
  • Culture war: criminalization of Western influences, LGBTQ identity, and forms of self-expression (21:07).

• Failed economic reforms:

  • 1970 sugar harvest mobilization drains other sectors, breeds mass disaffection (22:05–22:35).
  • Widespread discontent; Cubans leave in large waves.

3. Collapse & Survival: The Special Period (1991–2000s) (24:32–33:37)

• Post-Soviet shock:
  • Soviet collapse ends crucial subsidies, plunging Cuba into the “Special Period”—severe shortages, daily blackouts, mass migration (24:56–26:30).
• Economic adaptation:
  • Legalization of limited private businesses, foreign investment, and especially tourism.
  • Government pays workers a fraction of what foreign companies pay, keeps rest (27:39).
• Shift in alliances:
  • New dependence on Venezuela—Cuba sends doctors in exchange for oil and cash (28:31–29:17), but funds go to government priorities, not infrastructure (29:36).
  • Quote—Lillian Guerra:

    "They would blame the Special Period or they'd blame the US embargo... The number of grievances were miles long." (30:12)

• Diaspora and remittances:
  • Cuban-American families provide vital support; remittances become economic lifeline (31:46–32:49).
  • Changing attitudes toward exiles—from “traitors” to essential supporters (32:57).

4. Hopes & Fractures: The Cuban Thaw and Its Reversal (36:04–43:02)

• Leadership change:
  • Fidel Castro steps down in 2008; brother Raul inherits power but not popular legitimacy (37:06).
  • Continuity, not true transition—lack of new political voices (37:24).
• Obama-era thaw:
  • Diplomatic engagement, loosened restrictions, historic presidential visit (38:12).
  • Introduction of Internet access for Cubans, leading to new connectivity and public discourse (39:10–40:58).
• End of optimism:
  • Trump administration reverses course, reinstating travel and financial restrictions (41:36).
  • Activists and independent journalists like Eloy Vieira express deep frustration:

    "It was one of the main or worst frustrations of my generation." (42:24)

  • Pandemic further weakens economy. 2021 sees unprecedented public protests—met with harsh crackdowns (43:18–43:40).

5. The Present: Impasse and a "Cliff's End" (44:17–48:45)

• Multiple views on the crisis:
  • Debate over blame for the current state—embargo vs. regime (45:08).
  • Maria de los Angeles Torres (Political Scientist):

    "The argument that it's only the embargo is actually a very US-centric perspective... I don't think it's the only factor." (45:25)

  • Internal mismanagement, economic dependency, and lack of political or economic autonomy are key causes (46:05).
  • Embargo fosters cottage industries benefiting military elites—sometimes giving regime incentive to keep embargo in place (46:39).
• The future uncertain:
  • Eloy Vieira:

    "If the regime crumbled, it's just because a lot of Cubans went out to the streets, they keep in the streets and they start a new revolution." (47:21)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Life is really bad right now, really bad... when you don't have electricity, you don't have water... Many people using charcoal to cook their food, but at the same point, charcoal is also a limited resource."
  — Eloy Vieira (02:36)
• "For years, a dual Internet developed in Cuba. For those who could afford it, there was access to the World Wide Web. For most Cubans, there was access to Cuba's tightly controlled and censored Internet."
  — Ramtin Arablouei (40:46)
• "Cubans are more equally poor than they are equally rich. And you have an economic elite which is the Cuban communist government, very top echelon that live like kings."
  — Lillian Guerra (46:05)
• "Everything is in the hands of the Cuban. If the regime crumbled is just because a lot of Cubans went out to the streets, they keep in the streets and they start a new revolution."
  — Eloy Vieira (47:21)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Cuba’s Recent Crisis: Oil, Blackouts, Basic Needs – 00:12–05:22
• Revolution and U.S.-Cuban Relations: Dual Embargoes – 06:19–23:32
• The Special Period and Post-Soviet Adaptation – 24:32–33:37
• The Cuban Thaw and Its Collapse – 36:04–43:02
• Blame, Responsibility, and the Way Forward – 44:17–48:45

Tone & Takeaway

Throughline’s narrative is probing, historical, and empathetic, blending expert analysis with lived experience. The episode uncovers the complexity behind Cuba’s crisis—showing that blame does not rest solely on one side but is rooted in decades of intertwined U.S. policy and domestic regime decisions. The result is a country “at the edge of the cliff,” with its future now resting in the hands of ordinary Cubans, and the world watching what comes next.