Trump Administration Beats the Drums of War

U.S. government officials have been told to “ramp up preparations for possible military operations against Cuba,” according to a report published Tuesday by Zeteo, which quoted “two sources familiar with the situation and another person briefed on it.”

The report comes one day after Trump said at the White House that the U.S. “may stop by Cuba after we finish with [Iran].”

Trump has sent different messages depending on the day, saying both a deal with Cuba is “close” and threatening to “take” the island.

In recent weeks, Cuba's President Miguel Díaz-Canel has reaffirmed the Cuban government’s longstanding position that the country is open to dialogue with the U.S. government.

“We could reach agreements beneficial to both peoples and both nations,” Díaz-Canel told Newsweek’s Tom O’Connor, citing “investments from U.S. firms” as one example, as well as “migration, security, the environment, science and innovation, trade, education, culture and sports.”

Democrats push back

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) says he will force a Senate vote next week on the Cuba War Powers Resolution, which seeks to prevent the U.S. from a military attack on Cuba without congressional approval, El Nuevo Día reported.

Kaine, the leading Democrat on the Senate Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, introduced the bill a month ago. 

Two bills with the same goal were also introduced in the House: The Cuba War Powers sister bill and the Prevent an Unconstitutional War in Cuba Act.

For more on Trump's threats of military action in Cuba, check out Lee Schlenker's latest article in Responsible Statecraft.