By Paul E. Vallely MG, US Army (Ret) and Thomas McInerney, LTG, USAF (Ret)
It is time for the United States to offer the people of Cuba an opportunity to become a free and democratic nation as a responsible member of the Western Hemisphere. It is imperative that Cuba finally becomes a nation of free 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 are suggesting that America present a plan to Cuba to transition to a vibrant, modern economy. We should offer to make Cuba a Territory of the United States as we did with Puerto Rico.
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-Canel, 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.
