The Cuban regime intensified its media attacks against Mike Hammer, head of the United States diplomatic mission in Havana, reflecting an increasing concern over the direct and open diplomacy strategy that the American official has implemented since his arrival on the island.
In the latest broadcast of the state-run program Con Filo, its host, Michel Torres Corona, dedicated a lengthy segment to discrediting his work, labeling it as cynical and accusing him of being an emissary of Washington's "suffocating policy."
Hammer has recently made a remarkable tour through various parts of the country, meeting not only with institutional actors but —and this is what most disturbs the regime— with opponents, activists, and ordinary citizens, in an effort to promote an inclusive dialogue with Cuban civil society.
What for any diplomat represents a basic action of their mandate, in the Cuban context becomes a subversive gesture, able to deeply unsettle a weakened power elite, encased in its narrative and disconnected from the popular sentiment.
The tone of the attack in Con Filo was sarcastic, but the underlying message did not hide the alarm. "He strolls freely through our streets, meets with those who think like him, pretends to be concerned… but he represents the empire that suffocates us," said the host in a speech filled with cynicism.
Because -Torres Corona wondered- if Cuba were truly a dictatorship, as Hammer acknowledges, how is it that one can move freely, without repression or repudiation rallies? That contrast, which the program intended to exploit in a mocking tone, is precisely what most clearly demonstrates the weakness of the Cuban system.
While Gabriela Fernández and the spy Fernando González Llort are facing jeers and protests in democratic countries, Hammer can speak and walk in Cuba without being assaulted or insulted, reasoned the regime's spokesperson.
The respect for Hammer's physical integrity does not stem from tolerance or laws, but from the regime's desire to avoid diplomatic scandals that would further worsen its already tarnished international image.
The moment is particularly delicate. The rise to power of Donald Trump has created an atmosphere of uncertainty, where the Cuban regime prays for an outcome that guarantees their continuity in power, whether through the dismissal of Secretary of State, the Cuban American Marco Rubio, or the understanding between Washington and Moscow that the Republican fosters with Havana's strategic ally, Vladimir Putin.
From the Palace of the Revolution, there is concern that the cycle of increasing sanctions may regain momentum, especially if it is perceived that Cuba is obstructing the diplomatic efforts of figures such as Hammer.
The structural crisis facing the country—marked by blackouts, fuel shortages, skyrocketing inflation, massive exodus, and rising social discontent—has severely eroded the legitimacy of the regime, which survives more through coercive control than by citizen support.
In that context, the presence of an American diplomat engaging in dialogue with "the real people" —those that the power tries to ignore or silence— poses a direct threat to the narrative monopoly of Havana.
On the other hand, the statements in the same program by Johana Tablada de la Torre, Deputy Director of the U.S. Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINREX), further elaborated on the official stance: she accused Hammer of leading a "desperate effort" to fabricate excuses that justify new aggressions.
But his words also highlighted the isolation of the official narrative, which continues to speak of "blockade" and "imperial domination" while ignoring that these explanations no longer convince the majority of Cubans, who deem them excuses and hypocritical, immoral justifications.
In the midst of this unpredictable scenario, Mike Hammer's strategy has not only unsettled the regime but has also revived something that seemed extinct in Cuba: the active practice of public diplomacy. A diplomacy that walks the streets, listens without filters, and documents the real life of Cubans, beyond the television studios of power.
The crusade against Hammer: The regime activates its discrediting machinery
When Mike Hammer began to roam neighborhoods, to sit and play dominoes with young people, and chat with mothers, activists, artists, and dissidents, quietly the alarms went off in the Cuban power structure.
The image of the American diplomat smiling among ordinary Cubans not only contrasted with the official discourse, but directly challenged it. And as often happens in Cuba when someone crosses the boundaries of control, the regime reacted with all its arsenal.
But the criticism did not stay on the set of Con Filo. From the halls of MINREX, Tablada took the microphone and accused him of interference, hypocrisy, and being part of the alleged "cognitive war" that the State Department is waging against the Cuban regime.
She also accused him of leading a "ridiculous tour" to create a false image of friendship while —according to her— implementing new forms of aggression. She mentioned "lists of favorite Cubans" compiled by the embassy, who were treated as "the true voice of the Cuban people."
The message was clear: any Cuban who spoke with Hammer was automatically marked as suspicious.
The machinery was completed with the most virulent attack, which was also symbolically the most revealing: using the accusations by Tablada de la Torre as a starting point, Lis Cuesta Peraza, the wife of the president Miguel Díaz-Canel, publicly called him “shameless and unhappy” on social media.
It was an unusual, almost personal act, revealing just how unsettling the name Hammer is in the circles of power. “Disgusting beings,” concluded the official from the Ministry of Culture, expressing the nausea she feels for those who raise their voices to denounce the totalitarian regime that governs her husband, appointed by the dictator Raúl Castro.
The campaign was joined by pro-government journalists, militant tweeters, figures from the old guard, and members of the Cuban diplomatic corps, all repeating a familiar narrative: that of the external enemy who conspires, infiltrates, and manipulates.
However, this time it was not a secret plan, but rather visible, documented, and public diplomacy. And that transparency was, paradoxically, what irritated the most.
Because while Hammer walks unaccompanied through the streets of Cuba, listening without filters and publishing without fear, the regime barricades itself behind cameras, scripts, and clichés. And in that difference lies the true power of his gesture: talking with Cubans, without intermediaries, is today an act of defiance in Cuba.
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