On Monday, the entire island pulled a disappearing act as a nationwide blackout turned the 11 million people into involuntary stargazers. It’s the biggest power failure since the Trump administration slapped an energy blockade on the Communist island earlier this year. While Havana sits in the dark, the Cuban population in Miami is trembling—not with fear, but with the pure anticipation of a homecoming.
The vibes are, predictably, not great. Last Friday, protesters in Morón decided that if the government wouldn’t provide light, they’d make their own—specifically by torching the local Communist Party headquarters. You have to wonder: how is a country this beautiful still this “stuck in the mud”?
The people are legendary, but the leadership seems to be a collection of absolute half-wits. Cuba gets 3,000 hours of sunshine a year. It is basically a giant solar battery floating in the Caribbean. Yet, the government didn’t start a serious energy pivot until 2022. Even now, solar only covers 20% of the juice.
The strategy is classic bureaucracy:
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The Midday Tease: Solar works great at noon, hitting 38% of demand. But since they failed to buy batteries, the grid turns into a pumpkin the second the sun dips.
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The China Tab: Instead of fixing the leaky pipes, they’ve borrowed billions from Beijing to build 92 solar parks by 2028. Hope they like waiting.
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DIY Freedom: In a rare moment of “oops, our bad,” the government finally legalised private solar panels. Now, if you want a cold beer, you have to build your own power plant in the backyard.
Since 1959, Cuba has survived by playing the world’s most desperate game of “Sugar Daddy Roulette”—first the Soviets, then Venezuela. Now? The tank is empty. Jet fuel is gone, flights are cancelled, and the tourism sector is a ghost town. Hospitals are cancelling surgeries while tropical diseases throw a party.
President Miguel Díaz-Canel recently admitted they haven’t seen an oil tanker in three months and is currently trying to slide into Washington’s DMs. Meanwhile, Donald Trump—who is openly floating the idea of a “friendly takeover”—basically told the island to take a seat. On Air Force One Sunday, he noted he has to “end the war in Iran” before dealing with Havana.
It’s a tough break for Cuba: stuck between a leadership that can’t flip a switch and a neighbor who treats international diplomacy like a real estate flip.