Cuba enters ‘state of war’ as fears of full-blown Trump attack explode | World | News
In response to the US detention of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, Cuba is preparing to declare a “state of war” to counter Donald Trump’s threats.
State media reported on Sunday that Cuba’s National Defense Council had approved “plans and measures” to impose a “state of war” across the country.
The press release said these measures would be based on the concept of “all the people’s war”, a strategy promoted during the collapse of former leader Fidel Castro’s ally, the Soviet Union, in the 1980s. However, no detailed information was given on how this would be achieved.
This policy, which forms the cornerstone of Cuban military doctrine, obliges civilians to join the war effort in the event of a possible attack.
To protect the island against possible attack, the armed forces provided combat and weapons training to residents throughout the country.
After Maduro’s arrest, the Trump administration, especially US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban exiles, predicted an imminent collapse for the beleaguered country and announced that it would no longer buy Venezuelan oil.
Previously, Trump had increased threats against the communist regime, intensified embargoes, blocked the entry of fuel and medical supplies into the country, and described the country as a state sponsor of terrorism.
Havana has publicly rejected Trump’s claims, even though it is facing one of its worst economic crises since the 1959 revolution and has lost an ally. Cuba’s president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, frequently appears in public in his military uniform and makes speeches criticizing US aggression.
Since the US raid, Cuba has stepped up its anti-imperialist rhetoric and increased military exercises as a show of defiance to Washington.
On Sunday, the Cuban military announced that it was ready to “defend the homeland, the revolution and socialism under any circumstances and conditions, even death if necessary.”
At the public funeral for the 32 Cuban guards killed during the Caracas attack, Díaz-Canel addressed the crowd and declared: “homeland or death, we will prevail.”
He continued: “We, millions of Cubans, are ready to fight if we are attacked with the same brutality as our 32 fallen fighters.” He was clearly alluding to military doctrine.
