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Venezuela has been vital for Cuba's economy since 1999, when then-President Hugo Chvez described the two countries as bound together "in a sea of happiness." Cuba deployed sports trainers, doctors and counterintelligence agents to Venezuela, the latter to root out traitors who might overthrow Chvez. Venezuela responded with 100,000 barrels of oil shipped to Cuba daily.

The heavily subsidized oil shipments have fallen to 30,000 barrels a day. Agents from Cuba's vaunted intelligence service remain in Venezuela, where they have worked to purge disloyal military officers and government officials, helping ensure Maduro remains ensconced in power.

Cuba's deep reliance on Venezuela means Cuba's Communist government is doing all it can to prevent Madurowho trained in Cuba as a young manfrom being forced from office in his greatest challenge after nearly 13 years in office. That means ensuring he is always surrounded by security and loyal aides, with no one carrying cellphones or other electronic devices.

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More than 2.7 million peopleabout a quarter of the island's population, many of them young and ambitioushave fled the island since 2020, hundreds of thousands of them to the U.S., according to calculations of a Havana-based demographer, Juan Carlos Albizu-Campos.

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Nearly 90% of people live in extreme poverty, and 70% go without at least a meal a day, said the Social Rights Observatory, a think tank that conducted a month of polling this past summer. For more than 70% of Cubans, their main concerns are the lack of food and the constant blackouts, which can go for 18 hours or more a day in some regions. The observatory found that 78% intend to flee the island.

Cubans who have fledas well as others on the island who spoke by phonesaid that garbage is piling up, communicable diseases like chikungunya and dengue are spreading, and many children aren't going to school. Water availability is intermittent, leaving Cubans sometimes unable to bathe, wash dishes or flush toilets.

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In Cuba's National Assembly this month, some legislators spoke candidly about the gravity of the situation, though there is opposition toward greatly expanding the small private-business sector.

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HunterAggie said:

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The fact that Cuba continues to survive after essentially 65+ years of the Castro regime is mind boggling.

And 25% of a country's population leaving in 5 years is all you have to know about the situation.

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YouBet said:

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HunterAggie said:

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The fact that Cuba continues to survive after essentially 65+ years of the Castro regime is mind boggling.

And 25% of a country's population leaving in 5 years is all you have to know about the situation.

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Likely because it's small enough that the powers that be could do just enough with lifelines from VZ and Russia to keep a lid on it.

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annie88 said:

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Most of my life I've been hearing so much crap about Venezuela and Cuba. They just always seem to be in such states of turmoil and bull***** It's exhausting.

I know America ain't perfect, but you look around the world and you see the **** shows in some of these countries especially the Middle East and such and you just ask yourself. What the hell.

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Sharpshooter said:

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Let's ship all of our Ivy League professors over there to show Cuba how to make communism work.

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Mas89 said:

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You are welcome to pay their bills but I don't want to. Would really like to go see it and fish there someday if it was Safe though.

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