From Germany, where the Security conference is being held these days, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio launched a strong criticism against the power structure in Havana, focusing his message on the severe economic decline of the island and the Cuban government's resistance to implementing structural reforms.
Rubio characterized the current crisis as the direct result of an exhausted political and economic model, whose main obstacle, he asserted, is the regime's desire to maintain absolute control over all strategic sectors.
“The fundamental problem that Cuba has is that it has no economy, and the people in charge of that country, in control of that country, do not know how to improve the daily lives of their people without relinquishing power over the sectors they control,” he stated in remarks reported by European sources.
According to the official, the ruling elite is facing a dilemma that it refuses to resolve: to open up spaces that allow for economic growth or to continue exercising a hegemonic power that has led to structural stagnation.
“They want to control everything; they don't want the people of Cuba to control anything,” he emphasized.
In their view, even when opportunities to implement changes have been presented to them, “they do not seem capable of understanding or accepting them in any way.”
"They would prefer to be in charge of a dying country than allow it to thrive."
Rubio summarized his accusation in a powerful statement directed at the Cuban leadership: “They would rather be in charge of a dying country than allow it to prosper.”
The Secretary of State linked this stance to decades of failed policies, rigid controls, and a lack of economic freedoms that, together, have condemned Cuba to a state of perpetual crisis.
According to the explanation provided, the government's refusal to grant space to the private sector, relax investment regulations, or allow a genuine opening of the internal market has deepened precariousness, worsened today by fuel shortages, prolonged blackouts, and serious difficulties in maintaining basic services.
“The Cuban political and economic system is broken”, he reiterated, pointing out that no progress will be possible as long as the authorities cling to power.
A message aligned with Washington's strategy
Rubio has been a consistent voice within the Donald Trump administration advocating for increased diplomatic and economic pressure on Havana.
His diagnosis of the functioning of the Cuban system is clear: it is a "disastrous regime" responsible for social deterioration, mass emigration, and the supply crisis affecting millions of citizens.
The Cuban American further extended his criticism to the regional sphere, recalling that the governments of Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua are, in his view, driving forces behind serious migratory crises in the hemisphere.
"They are countries whose systems do not function," he noted in reference to autocracies that "create conditions that push thousands of citizens to leave their homes."
At a time when the island is facing one of the worst economic situations in its history, the statements from the U.S. Secretary of State point directly to the root of the stagnation: a model that, according to him, prioritizes the preservation of political power even at the cost of the country's viability.
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