"No escape:" Inside Rubio's Cuba pressure campaign

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is leading an unprecedented economic war on Cuba, aimed at teaching the island's communist leaders that there are no escape valves from the mounting U.S. sanctions. The Trump administration has taken over two dozen separate actions to pressure Cuba since last year, with the penalties being unique in their quantity and extent.

Sanctioning 40 entities, targeting at least 38 people with economic sanctions and U.S. visa limitations, and pressuring other countries to stop supporting Cuba's doctor-export program has put the island in a precarious position. Cuba's prime minister has announced more private-sector activity, but Rubio maintains that the government is merely faking reforms while seeking ways to evade sanctions.

The pressure campaign has led to foreign companies fleeing Cuba and U.S. companies moving in, creating a nascent capitalist black market. The U.S. has seized Venezuela's oil supply, which was a major revenue stream for Cuba, and more lawsuits are being filed under the LIBERTAD Act, which ties the embargo to the release of political prisoners and guarantees of civil rights.

Critics argue that the report on Cuba is a political document that fails to provide context and exaggerates the island's role as an espionage superpower. The U.S. administration is attempting to cultivate other Cuban officials and create a coalition for reform, but the system is highly paranoid and making a transition government difficult. The administration remains focused on its 2½-year commitment to the sanctions program.