On Friday, May 15th, I wrote about Donald Trump’s latest threats against the neighboring island nation of Cuba, and wondered why he had sent the Director of the CIA, John Ratcliffe, to Havana rather than a diplomatic team. I closed with the following words of apprehension:

“Those of my generation remember all too well what happened when the CIA stuck its nose into Cuba 65 years ago. Maybe they’ve learned from their earlier mistakes . . . but this still makes me nervous.”

I was, of course, referencing the disastrous (for us) “Bay of Pigs” invasion of April 1961, which in turn triggered the following year’s Cuban Missile Crisis, when the Soviet Union stepped in to “defend” Cuba against any further U.S. threats.

For 13 days in October of 1962, the world trembled on the brink of World War Three. I remember clearly the feeling of going to bed each night, convinced that — because I lived at “Ground Zero” in Washington, D.C. — I would not wake up the following morning.

We were lucky then; our President was John F. Kennedy — a learned, seasoned politician and diplomat who kept his finger away from the nuclear button, and was able to convince Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev to take a deep breath, withdraw his missiles from Cuba, and let the world continue living for a while longer.

Today, our world is not the same as it was 64 years ago. There are — as far as I know — no Russian missiles on their way to Cuba. But Vladimir Putin’s Russia still has a strong presence there. And the White House is now occupied, not by a man of reason, but by a hotheaded malignant narcissist who delights in threatening to wipe out entire civilizations if they do not bend to his will.

Donald Trump has made no secret of his intention to “take over” Cuba, allegedly to rescue it from a very real economic and political crisis, but in reality to allow him to claim another victory in his parade of hostile takeovers.

And now, as though in answer to my question of a few days ago concerning the involvement of the CIA, U.S. intelligence sources have reported that Cuba has acquired more than 300 military drones and has recently begun discussing plans to attack the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, U.S. military vessels, and possibly even Key West, Florida. [Marc Caputo, Axios, May 17, 2026.]

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has responded by accusing the U.S. of fabricating a case in order to justify potential military intervention, and said in a post on X that “Cuba does not represent a threat.” He added that any offensive military action against Cuba would lead to a “bloodbath.” [Kylie Madry, Reuters, May 18, 2026.]

And Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez posted that Cuba, “like every nation in the world,” has every right to defend itself against foreign aggression under the U.N. Charter and international law. [Id.]

So here we are again — though now in a world of drone warfare, splintering political alliances, and inmates running the asylum that is Washington. Who is telling the truth? Cuba’s president did not deny having the drones; but does he believe his country really has the capacity to launch and sustain an attack against the United States?

Or is Trump indeed fabricating a Cuban threat as an excuse for yet another unwarranted invasion?

And if he does make a move against Cuba, will Russia once again step in to defend its ally in order to maintain a toehold in the Caribbean?

And finally . . . will we all wake up again tomorrow morning?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/19/26