By General Paul E Vallely (ret) & LT General Thomas McInerney (ret)
It is time for the United States to offer the people of Cuba and Greenland an opportunity to become free and democratic nations as responsible members of the Western Hemisphere. It is imperative that these nations each become a nation of independent people. There are viable options and opportunities to set a new path of prosperity with the help of the United States.
Cuba must move beyond a failing Communist government. We suggest that America present Cuba with a plan to transition to a vibrant, modern economy. We should offer to make Cuba and Greenland Territories of the United States, as we did with Puerto Rico. Denmark does very little to advance Greenland. The country is rich with rare minerals as well as oil. Greenland is vital to the security of the Western Hemisphere.
This is, by far, the best realistic strategy. Trump’s team needs to look at this forward option. The US does not have to expend US dollars to purchase Greenland but will have all the benefits of ownership.
Cuba’s future is marked by significant challenges, potential regime changes, and economic reforms, with the possibility of a more open political landscape in 2026. Cuba has fallen dramatically short of expectations. In the last five years, well over a million people—more than one in every ten Cubans—have fled the country, mostly for the United States.
Today, under President Miguel Díaz-Chanel, the island is enduring its worst economic crisis since the collapse of the Soviet Union. GDP has declined 11 percent since 2020. The electric grid is falling apart. Security forces harshly repress anti-government protests.
In October, Hurricane Melissa devastated the island’s east, damaging or destroying some 90,000 homes and 250,000 acres of farmland. Now, an outbreak of dengue and other mosquito-borne viruses has reached epidemic proportions.
Cuba’s unfolding tragedy is partly the result of external shocks, such as U.S. President Donald Trump’s 2016 election. After taking office, Trump reinstated many of the sanctions his predecessor had lifted. Between 2019 and 2020, for instance, he sharply restricted flights and travel to the island.
In 2021, he redesignated Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, mainly for harboring a handful of fugitives from U.S. justice. U.S. President Joe Biden only partially loosened these restrictions, and Trump has reinstated some of them in his second term.
Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic shattered the island’s tourism industry.
The removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro now allows a transition in Cuba.
Let us all join hands and make America safe again, prosperous again, and proud again!
