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The American newspaper The Wall Street Journal stated this Thursday that Cuban communism is entering its final phase after decades supported by external subsidies, while the internal economic crisis and the political pressure from the United States government expose the fragility of the system.
In the article Cuban Communism’s Long Goodbye (El largo adiós del comunismo cubano), columnist Peggy Noonan asserts that the political system established by dictator Fidel Castro (1926-2016) is experiencing a phase of irreversible deterioration decades after the end of the Cold War.
The text suggests that while most of the world closed that historical chapter 35 years ago, Cuba remained one of its last political remnants.
According to the author, the current economic and social crisis of the island reflects the exhaustion of a model that managed to survive for decades thanks to external subsidies, first from the Soviet Union and later from Venezuela.
The column describes an island plagued by recurrent blackouts, widespread shortages of food, medicine, and fuel, as well as a growing deterioration in the living conditions of the population.
In this context, the author argues that the political legacy of Castroism shows clear signs of disintegration.
Noonan also mentions the most recent meeting of the Plenary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (December 2025) as evidence of a political apparatus disconnected from the social reality of the country and lacking clear responses to the depth of the crisis.
The analysis also focuses on the United States' foreign policy towards the island. The columnist criticizes the normalization strategy promoted during the administration of Barack Obama between 2014 and 2016, arguing that it provided the Cuban regime with diplomatic and economic relief without inducing structural changes in the political system.
In contrast, the article presents the pressure policy driven by President Donald Trump as an opportunity to accelerate transformations on the island.
According to the argument presented, officials from the White House believe that the Cuban government is experiencing one of its weakest moments since the revolution's triumph in 1959.
The text also draws parallels with the Venezuelan scenario and notes that the loss of economic support from Caracas would have eliminated one of the last external pillars of the Cuban system, increasing the pressure on the regime in Havana.
These interpretations contrast with the narrative upheld by the Cuban government. The Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez accused the Republican government this Saturday of lying about the causes of the energy crisis on the island and argued that the sanctions and restrictions imposed by Washington constitute a “brutal blockade” that limits fuel supply.
From the U.S. administration, however, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has rejected that explanation and attributes the country's economic decline to the Cuban political system itself.
Rubio has stated that the island's economy will not be able to recover unless its government model changes.
The exchange of accusations occurs at a time of rising tension between the two countries, marked by new energy measures adopted by Washington and by diplomatic contacts that both sides have confirmed in recent weeks.
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