Apparently the Cuban government has made a rare emergency request to the United States due to the catastrophe caused by the Hurricane Ian, which collapsed the National Electric System, caused millionaire economic losses, mainly in the tobacco industry of the western province of Pinar del Río, the most affected; apart from the commotion caused in the population, which is going through very difficult times.
According to the financial economic daily The Wall Street Journal, The Joe Biden administration is evaluating the needs of the Island, although it has not wanted to comment on the request. Neither has he made it to the National Security Council or the Cuban embassy in Washington. It is not even known if Havana has requested something in particular or what.
So that #Cuba ?? recover | Urgent call in @nytimes.
?? Leaders and activists in the US make an urgent call demanding that Biden temporarily lift the sanctions and allow Cuba to buy the necessary supplies for reconstruction after the #HurricaneIan. pic.twitter.com/Q56H8kgUgD
— Cuban Foreign Ministry (@CubaMINREX) October 1, 2022
Anyway, the fact itself would be a breakthrough between the two countriesparticularly because bilateral efforts of the same type, after the catastrophic fire of the oil park in Matanzas Bay, did not bear fruit.
Havana has complained that the Biden administration does not improve bilateral relations, supporting, in a certain way, the sanctions imposed by the Donald Trump administration; even by keeping the Island on the list of countries that promote terrorism.
This rare request, the newspaper points out, could be influenced by the fact that one of its main allies, Russia, is in a complicated and difficult situation due to the invasion of Ukraine, and Venezuela, little beyond the supply of oil, is not it can go.
But it also reflects, of course, that Cuba is in a difficult situation like never before. To the point that the government has had to tolerate some popular protest demonstrationsamong other reasons, due to the prolonged electricity blackouts that, remember, did not begin after the passage of the hurricane.
Disaster diplomacy: why Biden should help Cuba after Hurricane Ian?
Various emails, consulted by The Wall Street Journal, suggest that Washington has interacted with Havana to determine how much assistance is needed. According to these, it was concluded that a priority would be the health sector, facilities for pumping water, sanitation and other critical infrastructure, if the administration decides to provide help.
All Cuban-American senators and congressmen are expected to oppose this eventual collaboration between the two countries.
