Cuba

United States

China

Military & Security

Politics

U.S. government officials familiar with classified intelligence claimed that China had reached an agreement in principle with Cuba that would see Beijing pay Havana billions of dollars to allow China to establish a surveillance post on Cuba for monitoring communications in the southeast United States, just 100 miles from Cuba at the nearest point, the Wall Street Journal reported June 8.

U.S., China: China-Cuba Surveillance Agreement May Impede U.S.-China Talks

The United States and Cuba will hold high-level talks in Washington, D.C., on April 12 to discuss record-high migration flows from the island that have impacted the U.S.-Mexico border and resulted in the deaths of dozens of migrants who made the journey by sea to Florida, Reuters reported on April 10.

U.S., Cuba: Countries to Hold High-Level Migration Talks

Argentina

Belize

Bolivia

Brazil

Chile

Colombia

Honduras

Mexico

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Venezuela

Economics

The leaders of Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Honduras, Mexico, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Venezuela met virtually and agreed to take steps to facilitate commercial trade, La Jornada reported April 5.

Latin America: Left-Wing Governments Ally to Reduce Food Inflation

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador stated that the leftist governments of Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Cuba would join Mexico in launching a joint plan to curb food inflation, namely by removing tariffs to reduce the price of food items, Reuters reported March 2.

Latin America: Leftist Governments Push to Reduce Food Tariffs

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

The U.S. State Department announced that the Biden administration will send $2 million in aid financing to Cuba to assist in emergency relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Ian, Reuters reported Oct. 18.

Cuba: U.S. to Provide $2 Million in Hurricane Relief

Energy

Cuba's state-owned energy company Electric Union announced on Sept. 27 that the country's electricity grid had faltered under the pressure of then-Category 3 Hurricane Ian, leaving the island's 11 million inhabitants without electricity for a period of several hours, DW News reported Sept. 28.

Cuba: Hurricane Ian Leaves Island Without Power

Ana Teresita Gonzalez, Cuba's foreign trade and foreign investment deputy minister, announced on Aug. 15 that the government will allow foreign investment through wholesale trade and may partner with companies and countries to offer retail trade, DW News reported Aug. 16.

Cuba: Government Announces Investment in Wholesale, Retail Trade

Firefighters extinguished a four-day fire at the Matanzas port that caused damage to roughly 40% of Cuba's main fuel storage capacity, Reuters reported Aug. 9.

Cuba: Firefighters Put Out Fire At Fuel Storage Facility

Snapshots

El Salvador

Israel

Palestinian Territories

People attend a rally in support of Israel in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Oct. 22, 2023. 

Social Issues

Anger over the conflict could temporarily strain Israel and the U.S.'s relations with left-wing governments in the region, while countries with large Jewish or Arab populations may see more security-related incidents.

Latin America's Response to the Israel-Hamas War 

Media

Nicaragua

Ukraine

Russia

Podcasts

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The Fight for Russia’s Borderlands

Are Russia's claims of increased cooperation with Latin America's authoritarian governments credible?

Essential Geopolitics: Russia Makes Moves in the U.S. Backyard

People walk past a mural of the Venezuelan and Russian flags that reads "Together we will defeat COVID-19" in Caracas, Venezuela, on March 4, 2021.

The Ukraine Conflict

Amid ongoing tensions in Ukraine, Moscow will use its ties with Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua to illustrate its geopolitical influence in the U.S.'s own backyard. 

Is Russia’s Renewed Outreach to Latin America All for Show?

A demonstrator holds up a sign in solidarity with protesters in Cuba outside the White House on July 18, 2021. 

Security

The U.S. and the Balance of Power

The Biden administration’s response to Havana's heavy-handed crackdown on recent protests could spook Western investors. 

U.S. Sanctions Dim Hopes for Cuba’s Economic Opening

An old American car passes by the capitol building in Havana, Cuba, on May 3, 2021. 

The move will help spur growth, but the continued state control of Cuba’s most lucrative sectors will impede investment. 

Cuba Legalizes Private Businesses, With Key Caveats

Assessments

Guidance

Uganda

Ecuador

Peru

Japan

Philippines

South Korea

Iran

Turkey

India

A motorist passes a sign for the 8th Congress of the Cuban Communist Party on April 6, 2021, in Havana. The Party will convene April 16-19 against the backdrop of broader Cuban discontent over a deteriorating economic situation,

U.S.-Iran Relations

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended Stratfor articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Economic Data From China and More Indirect U.S.-Iran Talks

Columns

On Geopolitics

Burundi

South Africa

Myanmar

North Korea

Europe

Iraq

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about the situation in Myanmar following the recent military coup in Washington D.C. on Feb. 10, 2021. 

U.S.-China Relations

Venezuela's Unraveling

Iran's Arc of Influence

Globalization

Coping With a Nuclear North Korea

Russia's Internal Struggle

Amid talk of new U.S. sanctions on Myanmar and Russia, we review what factors make such penalties most effective in actually altering a country’s behavior.

Reviewing the Role and Effectiveness of Sanctions

In this episode of the Essential Geopolitics podcast from Stratfor, a RANE company, a conversation about crossroads. In the next three weeks, the Americas will experience three significant elections: The U.S. presidential election, a referendum to decide whether Chile will draft a new constitution, and a general election in Bolivia to elect a new president and congress.

Essential Geopolitics: The Americas at the Crossroads

Echoes of the Cold War

In this Pen and Sword podcast from Stratfor, a RANE company, Emily Donahue interviews Anthony DePalma, Author of "The Cubans: Ordinary Lives in Extraordinary Times."

Pen and Sword: The Cubans with Anthony DePalma

On Security

Russian and Venezuelan defense ministers meet in Moscow. 

Cyber

Security Challenges in Latin America

As it seeks to counter U.S. interests in Latin America, Russia is turning to an old playbook. But instead of arming Marxist groups with weapons, this time Moscow's arming anti-government protesters with rhetoric.

Could There Be a Cold War Reboot in Latin America?

Former CIA Counterintelligence Chief James M. Olson and Stratfor Chief Security Officer Fred Burton sit down to discuss spycraft.

To Catch a Spy With Author James M. Olson

Opposition leader Juan Guaido arrives at a demonstration in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas. 

A failed uprising attempt could all but ensure an extended Maduro regime by limiting Washington's options for regime change, while bolstering those of the Caracas' allies.

Venezuela's Vying Suitors Update Their Game Plans

Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean and separates the Gulf of Mexico from the Caribbean Sea. Forming the choke point for shipping routes out of the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, Cuba is a strategically significant territory in the Western Hemisphere.    Cuba lies in a subtropical humid zone with mostly flat geography that is well suited for agriculture, such as sugar, coffee and tobacco.    Havana is the political and economic core of Cuba, with more than 2 million people, or about 20 percent of the island's population. Rugged terrain to the southeast is dominated by the Sierra Maestra Mountains, which have historically been used by individuals seeking refuge from government control. It was from this region that the Cuban revolution of 1959 was planned and executed.    Cuba's major geographic challenge is its proximity and importance to the United States. Its location has repeatedly made the island a battleground in global affairs.The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 was the pinnacle of conflict over Cuba, and since that time, U.S. policy has revolved around denying foreign powers military access to the island. In the wake of the Cold War, Cuba's close relationship with Venezuela has provided an important source of petroleum for the politically and economically isolated island.    Cuba is emerging from its communist economic model, but with limited resources and an underdeveloped industrial sector, it will take time for the country's economic model to evolve.

North America Unrivaled

SITUATION REPORTS

U.S., China: China-Cuba Surveillance Agreement May Impede U.S.-China Talks

U.S., Cuba: Countries to Hold High-Level Migration Talks

Latin America: Left-Wing Governments Ally to Reduce Food Inflation

Latin America: Leftist Governments Push to Reduce Food Tariffs

Cuba: U.S. to Provide $2 Million in Hurricane Relief

Cuba: Hurricane Ian Leaves Island Without Power

Cuba: Government Announces Investment in Wholesale, Retail Trade

Cuba: Firefighters Put Out Fire At Fuel Storage Facility

Forecasts

ANALYSES

SECTIONS

Explore

Subscribe

Help & Support