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My own unfounded conspiracy theory? It was done by Russia to submarine efforts by the Obama administration to normalize relations with Cuba.

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tekkk 6y ago
Hmm, even though that's a bit of a stretch that actually makes sense. Also Russia seems like the only geo-political adversary that could pull this off and have a vested interest in keeping Cuba in their sphere.
- sudosysgen 6y ago
  Cuba really isn't close enough to Russia to be "in it's sphere".
  - bumby 6y ago
    I think they meant “political sphere” not “geographic sphere”.
    - sudosysgen 6y ago
      Yes. Politically, since the fall of the Soviet Union, there are few ties between Cuba and Russia.
      - bumby 6y ago
        After the Trump administration reversed the previous administrations opening of Cuba, Russia has increased diplomatic relations with the island nation. The trade between the two has doubled
        sudosysgen 6y ago
        Russia still isn't even in the top ten trade partners of Cuba. It's not in the Russian sphere in any way.
        bumby 6y ago
        The important aspect is the rate of increase. Beyond that, Russia is still Cuba’s largest creditor. They may not have the same influence as the USSR but they still have considerable leverage
  - deleted 6y ago
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mturmon 6y ago
Or, to widen the possibilities somewhat, by Cuban interests who would prefer to not have normalized relations with the US, and who could enlist technically-advanced outside help — perhaps from Russia, but not necessarily the Russian government, directly. One reason a Cuban entity might not want normalization is that a lot of property was taken over during the Revolution, and US Cubans (and other former property owners) have been clear about wanting it back. Basic background: https://www.panoramas.pitt.edu/news-and-politics/property-rights-cuba-lurking-legal-nightmare https://www.panoramas.pitt.edu/news-and-politics/property-ri...

deleted 6y ago

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tekkk 6y ago

Hmm, even though that's a bit of a stretch that actually makes sense. Also Russia seems like the only geo-political adversary that could pull this off and have a vested interest in keeping Cuba in their sphere.

sudosysgen 6y ago
Cuba really isn't close enough to Russia to be "in it's sphere".
- bumby 6y ago
  I think they meant “political sphere” not “geographic sphere”.
  - sudosysgen 6y ago
    Yes. Politically, since the fall of the Soviet Union, there are few ties between Cuba and Russia.
    - bumby 6y ago
      After the Trump administration reversed the previous administrations opening of Cuba, Russia has increased diplomatic relations with the island nation. The trade between the two has doubled
      - sudosysgen 6y ago
        Russia still isn't even in the top ten trade partners of Cuba. It's not in the Russian sphere in any way.
        bumby 6y ago
        The important aspect is the rate of increase. Beyond that, Russia is still Cuba’s largest creditor. They may not have the same influence as the USSR but they still have considerable leverage
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]

deleted 6y ago

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mturmon 6y ago

Or, to widen the possibilities somewhat, by Cuban interests who would prefer to not have normalized relations with the US, and who could enlist technically-advanced outside help — perhaps from Russia, but not necessarily the Russian government, directly. One reason a Cuban entity might not want normalization is that a lot of property was taken over during the Revolution, and US Cubans (and other former property owners) have been clear about wanting it back. Basic background: https://www.panoramas.pitt.edu/news-and-politics/property-rights-cuba-lurking-legal-nightmare https://www.panoramas.pitt.edu/news-and-politics/property-ri...