US Media Report Trump Seeks Regime Change in Cuba by Year-End

The White House has initiated efforts to identify Cuban officials willing to engage in negotiations as part of a potential “regime change” initiative. According to The Wall Street Journal, US President Donald Trump is seeking to remove Cuba’s leadership and has been meeting with Cuban exiles and civic groups in Miami and Washington, DC, to gauge interest among government insiders in Havana.

US officials have stated that the administration does not currently possess a concrete plan for Cuba, but rather views recent events, such as the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by US military personnel, as a potential blueprint for future actions. Trump has also made public statements on the issue, including a warning to Cuba on his Truth Social platform.

Experts have expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of these efforts, with some arguing that threats alone may not be sufficient to topple the Cuban government. David Smith, an expert in US politics and foreign policy, stated that the White House’s approach may be overly optimistic. Ricardo Zuniga, a former official with the Obama administration, noted that Cuba’s leadership would be more challenging to influence than Venezuela’s.

The situation in Cuba is complex and opaque, making it difficult for outsiders to assess the actual power dynamics within the government and the loyalty of its officials. The US has long sought to remove Cuba’s communist leadership, with previous attempts including the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion in 1962 and CIA plots to assassinate Fidel Castro during his lifetime.

The Cuban diaspora in the US, which includes senior Trump officials such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is a powerful voting bloc that has long been critical of Cuba’s communist government. The proximity of Cuba to South Florida, with hundreds of thousands of Cubans having left the island for the US, also presents a unique challenge for the administration.

Source: Al Jazeera