Cuba’s Regime Under Pressure as Its Allies Weaken (opens in new tab)

If Cuba looks increasingly vulnerable today, part of the reason lies not only inside the island but also in the weakening position of the regimes that traditionally helped sustain it. For decades Havana survived by leaning on external patrons. During the Cold War it was the Soviet Union. After the Soviet collapse it shifted toward Venezuela’s oil subsidies. Now the geopolitical safety net is thinner, and the remaining allies—Russia and Iran—are themselves under heavy strain.