The economist Elías Amor warns that the military conglomerate GAESA is facing deliberate and systematic blows that could signal the beginning of its dismantling. He explained this during the fourth and final analysis program of the 176 economic measures of Díaz-Canel broadcast on CiberCuba.
Amor describes the situation with a striking image: "They're taking swipes at GAESA, which I believe is a very good strategy." The economist points to a concrete example: the recent transfer of companies from Mariel that operated under the name GAESA, including distributors, which have had to transfer to other shareholders.
That movement was not accidental. On June 25, 2026, just two days after Washington imposed sanctions on Almacenes Universales S.A. —a GAESA entity that controlled container traffic in the Mariel Special Development Zone—, GAESA formally sold the assets of the Mariel Container Terminal to Coral Marítima S.A., a company linked to the Cuban Ministry of Transport.
Analysts and opponents describe the maneuver as a strategy to evade sanctions. Real control remains within the same power circles, but the sanctioned entity disappears from the official records. GAESA also withdrew from its involvement in the Miramar Business Center, using civilian ministries as corporate fronts.
Love warns that this is just the beginning: "This is going to happen a lot because GAESA's businesses are hyper-capillary." The conglomerate, controlled by the Cuban Armed Forces, dominates between 40% and 70% of the formal economy of the island, including hotels, ports, gas stations, foreign trade, and telecommunications.
For the economist, these transfers are not mere administrative restructurings; they are high-voltage political messages. "That is a sign that very clear messages are being communicated, which we may not hear because we have no reason to hear them, but the scene is not stagnant."
The pressure on GAESA is part of a broader offensive by the Trump Administration, which since January 2026 has imposed over 240 new sanctions against the Cuban regime. On May 7, 2026, under Executive Order 14404, Washington directly sanctioned the conglomerate and its president, Brigadier General Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera, freezing their assets under U.S. jurisdiction.
Love connects all this pressure with the U.S. electoral calendar. "I am convinced that the elections in November, the so-called midterms, both Marco Rubio, who is very intelligent, and Donald Trump cannot proceed without a good assessment of the situation in Cuba," asserts the economist in his weekly program with Tania Costa.
The midterm elections will be held on November 3, 2026, renewing the entire House of Representatives and 35 Senate seats.
When a follower accused him live of being from the CIA, Amor responded with humor and firmness. "For many years, we've been accused of that a lot, and they also accuse me of being an optimist, but I just don't want to look at reality with sad eyes."
The economist bases his optimism on historical experience. “Since the 1980s, when perestroika and glasnost occurred, we imagined that Cuba [would change],” recalling that what seemed impossible eventually came to pass. Amor has maintained this narrative consistently: on April 30, 2026, he claimed that “Cuba would be free before summer”, and on May 29, he predicted surprises for the first days of June.
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