In Havana, Fear United States-Russian 'Bromance' Will Lead to Invasion Louis Nevaer - New America Media
go to original January 7, 2017

Cubans fear the “bromance” between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin could result in a U.S. invasion of the communist island (The Daily Squat)

A day after American voters elected Donald Trump, President Raúl Castro placed the Cuban military on high alert and announced military exercises. Then, to mark the Revolution’s anniversary on New Year’s Day, Cuba’s military marched through downtown Havana in a show of force.

It may appear unreasonable to most Americans that Cuba expects Trump to invade the island. Yet many Cubans believe this is a possibility.

Cubans are fearful, dreading the worse.

“Trump’s policies are very aggressive,” Pedro Machado, a retired engineer, told Britian’s Independent. “We’ll have to see what he actually does. But it certainly looks like bad news for Latin America and for Cuba in particular. … The United States has acted as an empire, and that’s what Trump represents. Given what he has said, the future is not looking great.”

That sentiment is widely shared. Joaquin Villanueva, who moonlights as a taxi driver in front of the Hotel Inglaterra, worries about a possible invasion: “We’ve always been told to prepare for an invasion, but with Trump it looks more likely.”

On Monday, when Cuba commemorated the 58th anniversary of the Revolution, the Cuban people were told to prepare for the worst from the incoming Trump administration. “We are braced for conflict with the USA, we always have been,” Marcial García, aged 70, told reporters. “But I hope Trump will instead follow the path ... towards normalization.”

It is a fear fueled both by historical precedent and paranoia.

Read the rest at New America Media

We invite you to add your charity or supporting organizations' news stories and coming events to PVAngels so we can share them with the world. Do it now!