The academic Jorge Duany, emeritus professor of Anthropology at Florida International University and former director of the Cuban Research Institute, warned that the photograph of the meeting between U.S. Southern Command and the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) at the Guantanamo Naval Base reveals the "desperation" of the Cuban regime and presents it with a historical contradiction that it cannot disguise.
The photo that divides the exile between hope and criticism has a particularly painful impact among Cubans who emigrated in the early decades of the revolution.
"A large part of the historical exile, meaning those who arrived in the United States in the early '60s and '70s, likely do not sympathize with this type of peaceful coexistence that the photograph seems to suggest," Duany stated.
The academic explained the underlying reason: "The vast majority of the exiles from that period have been unwilling to engage in any kind of dialogue or negotiation with the Cuban government. Rather, what they hope for is that they will leave, whereas here what is being suggested is that they will stay and that they will reach some kind of agreement with the military authorities."
The meeting between the head of Southern Command and General Roberto Legrá Sotolongo took place on May 29 at the boundary of the base, and the Ministry of the Armed Forces (MINFAR) published several official photos of the event, which sparked an intense public discussion due to its symbolic significance.
Tania Costa, interviewer of Duany, highlighted the paradox that "those who have accused half of Cuba of being CIA agents are now shaking hands with the CIA and meeting at the naval base."
The scholar emphasized the historical contradiction that the image conveys: "So much criticism of the Platt Amendment, and in the end, they are at the naval base acknowledging the presence of the United States there."
For Costa, the mere act of visiting that territory carries undeniable political weight. "This photo there at the naval base serves to legitimize the presence of the United States. In other words, when you go there, you acknowledge it as U.S. territory and legitimize that presence, to the point that they have disavowed that U.S. presence on the island."
The analysis goes beyond the explicit content of the meeting. Duany also emphasized the visual symbolism of the photograph: "It is very difficult to distinguish the Cuban side from the American side. Once again, they are symbolically placed on the same level, that is, as legitimate representatives of both governments and with the need to reach an agreement on technical matters."
This meeting does not occur in a vacuum. The paradox faced by the FAR in receiving the general from Southern Command is part of a series of discreet contacts between Havana and Washington in 2026: on May 15, the CIA director, John Ratcliffe, traveled to Havana and met with Raúl Castro's grandson, known as "El Cangrejo" or "Raulito," alongside the Minister of the Interior and Cuban intelligence chiefs.
Duany noted that these contacts —including meetings between Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro and Marco Rubio since February— "contradict that belligerent image from the Cuban authorities and speak to an intention or a need to adapt to the situation currently facing the island."
Filed under: