Cuba faces deepening crisis as government announces emergency measures

Cuba is experiencing what analysts describe as the worst crisis in the country's history, marked by acute shortages, widespread power outages, and multiple viral epidemics affecting the population.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel announced a series of emergency measures in response to what he characterized as "difficult times" facing the island. The government reduced the work week to four days, implemented strict fuel rationing, and prioritized remote work and semi-in-person classes for schools.

In his announcement, Díaz-Canel attributed the crisis to the United States, accusing Washington of "imperialist ambition" and responsibility for the country's deteriorating conditions. In January, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order designating Cuba as an "extraordinary threat" and established tariffs on entities supplying petroleum to the island.

However, analysts note that beyond the longstanding U.S. embargo and current American pressure, the crisis stems from years of inefficient government policies and the regime's inability to generate wealth for its population.

Cubans across the island face multiple hardships. Neighborhoods experience multi-day power outages and weeks without water access. Residents burn cables, plastics, and fabric scraps to fuel cooking fires. School terms have been shortened, and hundreds of political prisoners remain detained. Thousands of workers continue reporting to jobs that pay symbolic wages while enduring monotony and falsehoods.

According to reporting, many Cubans believe the way of life they have known is approaching an end, whether through external change or because existing survival methods in their current circumstances have been exhausted.

In response to escalating tensions with Washington and the possibility of U.S. military intervention—following the Venezuelan precedent—the Cuban government has revived its military doctrine known as "Guerra de Todo el Pueblo," or "War of All the People." This concept, developed over 40 years ago by former President Fidel Castro, was designed to address an asymmetrical confrontation with the United States.

The doctrine did not primarily aim to repel a U.S. invasion but rather to make the military, economic, and human costs of occupation prohibitively expensive. The strategy emerged in the 1980s when Castro concluded that the Soviet Union would not intervene on Cuba's behalf if the United States attacked under President Ronald Reagan. Facing the necessity of defending itself alone, Castro determined that a massive mobilization strategy represented the only viable option.

According to Fabio Fernández, a history professor at the University of Havana, the deterrent factor was central to the doctrine's logic: "If you come here you are going to put many dead: think about it carefully." The approach relied on making potential military action sufficiently costly to discourage intervention.