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Since October 28, when Miguel Díaz-Canel appeared on state television to warn about Hurricane Melissa, the Cuban leader has not taken off his olive green uniform.
A month later, now without a weather emergency, the First Secretary of the Communist Party continues to appear before the cameras in the military attire that identifies the National Defense Council (CDN), even at official events with foreign delegations.
His most recent appearance was on November 28, during the official welcome for the Minister of International Cooperation of Congo, Denis Christel Sassou. In the photos released by the Palace, Díaz-Canel appears in olive green, while his counterpart is dressed in an elegant blue suit.
The scene highlighted an evident dissonance: the Cuban head of state appears as a commander, not as a civil ruler.
A uniform that weighs more than a symbol
In Cuba, olive green is not just a color: it is the historical emblem of revolutionary and military power. Since 1959, it has been the uniform of Fidel and Raúl Castro, of the historical commanders and the defense apparatus that supports the regime. That Díaz-Canel wears it consistently, even after the passing of Hurricane Melissa, is unusual and politically significant.
According to official sources, the country is no longer in a state of alarm. The Civil Defense lifted special measures in the eastern provinces at the beginning of November. There is no technical or institutional justification for the president to continue wearing the uniform. However, there may be political reasons.
The first might relate to Raúl Castro's visible return to the center of power. On October 16, just two weeks before the passage of Melissa, the 94-year-old Army General presided over a session of the National Defense Council at the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR).
In the official note, Raúl was described as "the leader at the forefront of the Revolution," with Díaz-Canel sitting to his right. This formula is not accidental: it reaffirms that real power remains in the hands of the veteran soldier, despite his alleged retirement in 2021.
The photo from that meeting marked a turning point in the symbolic attire of the leader of "continuity." Since October 28, the designated ruler has not appeared in civilian clothes at public events. His change in image seems to be an allegorical response to that display of authority: dressing like Raúl and trying to project the command he does not possess.
Undeclared health emergency
Another element that could explain the gesture is the health crisis that the regime avoids acknowledging.
On December 1, the Ministry of Public Health confirmed 33 deaths from dengue and chikungunya, the majority of whom were minors. Vice Minister Carilda Peña admitted that nearly the entire country is "in an epidemic zone," although the government insists that the situation is "under control."
In practice, the island is experiencing a health crisis: overflowing hospitals, a shortage of medications, and fumigations suspended due to a lack of insecticides.
In that context, Díaz-Canel's military uniform serves as a display of authority and discipline, a way to show the country that the State "maintains control" in the face of an emergency that cannot be publicly acknowledged.
The fear of a geopolitical storm
In addition to the internal crisis, there is a more alarming external front: the increasing military pressure from the United States in the Caribbean.
Washington is conducting naval exercises with the declared aim of neutralizing the Cartel of the Suns, but in Havana and Caracas, they are interpreted as a precursor to direct action against Venezuela.
The Cuban regime fears that a downfall of Nicolás Maduro could trigger a domino effect on the island.
According to experts cited by the EFE agency, Havana currently receives about 32,000 barrels of Venezuelan oil daily, which accounts for nearly 25% of its energy needs. Losing this supply would mean even longer blackouts, skyrocketing inflation, and a direct hit to the economic structure of the military conglomerate GAESA.
That concern was reflected in recent statements by Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, who described the U.S. maneuvers as "war-mongering madness." However, in reality, the tension has placed Cuba in a state of preventive defense.
Díaz-Canel's insistence on appearing in military uniform could be interpreted as an attempt to project strength in the face of a real or perceived external threat.
The international context: Isolation and vulnerability
The situation in Havana is more fragile than ever. According to a recent analysis, Cuba has lost its "global shield": neither Russia, nor Iran, nor China, nor the European Union are willing to support the regime as they did in previous decades.
Moscow prioritizes its war in Ukraine; Beijing has chosen economic pragmatism; Tehran is retreating after the attacks from the U.S. and Israel; and Brussels keeps its distance regarding human rights violations on the island.
Without solid allies and with the economy on the brink of collapse, Castroism faces a precarious situation. The eventual fall of Venezuelan Chavismo could be the final blow. In that scenario, Díaz-Canel's anti-imperialist rhetoric sounds like a relic of a bygone era, and the olive green uniform seeks to keep alive a military narrative that no longer finds international support.
The message from Raúl Castro and the power behind the power
Raúl Castro's public return to the MINFAR, his introduction as “head of the Revolution” and the visible presence of his grandson, Colonel Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez “El Cangrejo,” indicate that military control remains intact.
Raúl has not relinquished control of the army or GAESA, the most powerful economic conglomerate in the country.
In that context, Díaz-Canel appears to act more as a delegated figure of military power than as an autonomous head of state. His prolonged use of the uniform can also be interpreted as an act of subordination: an attempt to visually align himself with the military elite that truly governs the country.
A presidency in defense mode
Meanwhile, on the streets, the people are facing blackouts, hunger, epidemics, and an unprecedented massive emigration. The population perceives that the regime responds to the crises not with transparency or solutions, but with displays of authority and propaganda.
Díaz-Canel's uniform encapsulates that paradox: it aims to convey security, but it projects fear; it seeks to display leadership, yet it confirms dependence.
In a country with no officially declared emergencies, the ruler dresses as if in a state of war. Perhaps because, in a way, that is what it is: not against a cyclone or an invasion, but against internal erosion and the political collapse of a system that can no longer uphold its own narrative.
Ultimately, their olive green uniform is not an aesthetic choice, but a political symptom: the visible reflection of a besieged regime that refuses to acknowledge its fragility while quietly preparing to weather the coming storm.
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