Charles Shapiro, former U.S. ambassador to Venezuela, told Newsmax on Thursday that worsening conditions in Cuba primarily affect ordinary citizens, not the regime.
He stressed that the people being affected the most are the Cuban people, not the Cuban government.
On "American Agenda," Shapiro said that while "the Cuban government's got gasoline and fuel," everyday Cubans do not, adding that such a condition is "always true."
He said, 'In a dictatorship, government does just fine. It's the people who are" suffering."
Asked about potential U.S. military action, Shapiro downplayed the likelihood of imminent intervention, noting that "the military's always planning all the time" and that such preparations are routine, including plans "on how to evacuate embassies."
He added that if he were running the U.S. military, he would be "revising those plans right now," but emphasized that planning does not signal a policy shift.
Shapiro also dismissed statements from Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, arguing that "the strong guy in Cuba is not him. It's Raul Castro and the Cuban military," and that Díaz-Canel's remarks are "not particularly relevant."
Instead, he said, "What we do is relevant," and he pointed to "conversations, behind the scenes" as more meaningful.
Describing Cuba's internal structure, Shapiro said "there are no independent institutions, no PTA, no homeowners associations," with "the only independent institution" being the Catholic Church.
While there may be dissenting voices within the system, he questioned "how do you get to them?" given the regime's strong intelligence apparatus "keeping an eye on their own people."
Reflecting on decades of travel to the island, Shapiro said conditions have steadily deteriorated: "Every time I've gone there, it's gotten worse and worse and worse," warning that "it can keep descending for a really, really long time."
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James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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