CovertAction Magazine

Cuba’s Real Crime in the Minds of American Elites

In the eyes of American policy elites Cuba’s most unforgivable crime is not even its socialism, which is now badly frayed, but rather its sovereignty. Cuba’s persistent independence and oppositional survival as a state is an American imperial humiliation.

Revolutionary Cuba’s mere existence threatens the cynicism, complacency and defeatism that does so much to maintain imperial order at a global scale. As long as little Cuba—only 90 miles from Florida—can govern itself, there will be dissidents of all political varieties in countries across the Global South who will think: If Cuba can do it, maybe we can change leadership and transform conditions in our country too.

Closely linked to the general abstract threat of Cuba sovereignty are Cuba’s numerous explicit victories against the American foreign policy establishment and, particularly, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

From the Bay of Pigs in 1961, to Angola in 1975, and other African countries throughout the 1980s, Cuban arms beat CIA-backed forces. Across Latin America in the 1970s and 1980s—in places like El Salvador and Nicaragua—Cuban training and support played a decisive role in beating CIA-supported mercenaries and checking the worst excesses of CIA-backed repressive governments.

The Revolution’s nationalization of U.S. business operations is still deeply resented. But the Cuban economy was long ago forced to adopt, at least partially, a capitalist mode of production.

Many of the expropriated companies could return to Cuba and, perhaps, negotiate limited compensation with the Cuban government in exchange for providing employment, services, technical know-how, and investments in productive capital.

But the U.S. will not let American firms go back, the same way its illegal for Americans who travel to Cuba as tourists to “trade with the enemy.”

These days Cuba exists as a mixed economy that hosts a wide variety of foreign investment and pursues a more modest, survival-oriented, foreign policy.

But it persists as an autonomous and independent state, and does so despite the U.S.’s best efforts to destroy it. Ending that sovereignty is at the heart of Trump’s current military build-up and intensified economic warfare.

Note the prominent role of the CIA in the current pressure campaign. In mid-May it was CIA Director John Ratcliffe, not Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who visited Havana and demanded that the now 95-year-old Raul Castro be handed over for prosecution. His alleged crime is the 1996 downing of two aircraft containing four Cuban Americans as they attempted to scatter counter-revolutionary leaflets over Cuba. [...]

Cuba’s Real Crime in the Minds of American Elites - CovertAction Magazine In the eyes of American policy elites Cuba’s most unforgivable crime is not even its socialism, which is now badly frayed, but rather its sovereignty. Cuba’s persistent independence and oppositional survival as a state is an American imperial humiliation. Revolutionary Cuba’s mere existence th...

CovertAction Bulletin - Musk: One Trillionaire Too Many

Elon Musk has become the world’s first trillionaire after SpaceX’s public offering last week, the largest in history. As of recording, he’s worth $1.4 trillion—an unimaginably large amount of money and more than a trillion dollars over the net worth of the next wealthiest person on the planet, Google co-founder Larry Page. Page is worth just over $300 billion. In fact, combining the wealth of the people ranking numbers two through 5 on the Forbes real-time billionaires list (Larry Page and Sergey Brin of Google, Jeff Bezos of Amazon and Larry Ellison of Oracle), their combined net worth is still less than Musk’s.

While cautiously avoiding Musk’s far-right political leanings and his recent incitement of racist riots in Belfast, much of the capitalist media is heralding his obscene wealth. An opinion piece published by The Washington Post considers and dismisses the idea that someone should not have such “inordinate wealth,” but suggests that “SpaceX is one of the real success stories of the past several decades” and “has created something of great value for society” that will somehow democratize wealth by flowing money through the stock market.

For those of us in the real world who don’t have hundreds of millions or billions of dollars, the cold truth is that prices continue to rise while wages stay stagnant. Inflation was up 0.5% in May compared to April, and up 4.2% over the last 12 months. Prices are up at the gas pump, at the grocery store, and as summer starts around the United States, areas impacted by significant heat will also be hit by massive increases in energy prices. Tens of thousands of people die every year due to homelessness. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, over 771,000 people in the United States experienced homelessness. The real number may be significantly higher, but still nothing compared to the fact that Elon Musk’s trillions could buy 2.5 million homes at market price and solve the housing crisis immediately.

CovertAction Bulletin – Musk: One Trillionaire Too Many - CovertAction Magazine Elon Musk has become the world’s first trillionaire after SpaceX’s public offering last week, the largest in history...

A Two-State Solution to Prevent a Forever War

On May 28, Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) endorsed a Palestinian state, with the West Bank and Gaza to be connected physically.

As an advocate for peace, I do not agree that Israel must be defeated for Palestinians to achieve liberation. That is a forever war. It reminds me of the statement by Russell Means of the American Indian Movement: “For Indians to live, Europe must die.” That haunts me because we know who is doing the dying. I would also prefer a one-state solution but too many Jews and some Palestinian zealots do not want to integrate, especially now.

As an advocate for justice, I believe Jews have a historic connection to some of that territory, but not most of it. In 1933, Jews and non-Jews lived side-by-side in peace, with Jews comprising 20% of that population. That can be the goal again with a two-state solution. The non-Jewish farms and towns that were stolen by settlers must be returned. The Jewish state has a right to only 20% of the land based on historic and demographic justice.

Theocracy is also a problem. If people claim that a deity gives them the land, religion becomes blasphemy, ending in genocide. Their god becomes the devil. Atheism is better.

When I said at the Friday Montebello Lake sign-wave that the West Bank and Gaza could be united with “everything in between,” a comment was made: “That is all of Israel.” I beg to differ. If one looks at a map of Israel, most of the Jewish state is north and south of the West Bank and Gaza, not between. [...]

A Two-State Solution to Prevent a Forever War - CovertAction Magazine On May 28, Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) endorsed a Palestinian state, with the West Bank and Gaza to be connected physically. As an advocate for peace, I do not agree that Israel must be defeated for Palestinians to achieve liberation. That is a forever war. It reminds me of the statement by Russ...

One Gaza Flotilla Boat Made it to Gaza—in Pieces

Gaza Flotilla Boats Get Their Resilience from Palestinians

Gaza flotilla boats have become like Palestinians. They—like Palestinians—have been attacked, beaten, partially destroyed, and thrown to the four winds by a brutal, violent Israeli government.

Some of the 2026 Gaza flotilla boats were purposefully damaged so severely by Israeli military forces that they sank, like Palestinians who are under the genocidal rubble of endless criminal Israeli bombings.

After two brutal interceptions in international waters in April and May 2026, many resilient Gaza flotilla boats have been found floating in a variety of places around the Mediterranean, just as Palestinians as refugees are found all over the world.

Flotilla boats have been found adrift off the Turkish coast, some have been found off Crete, two have been found off Lebanon, one in Egypt and several have been found near Cyprus.

Palestinians Welcome a Flotilla Boat to Gaza

In an allegory to Palestinian history with Palestinian homes bombed into pieces by Israeli government violence, one flotilla boat, the KASR—Sadabad, found its way home to Gaza where it washed ashore at the beach Mawasi Khan Yunis… in pieces, where Palestinians lovingly welcomed the boat and pulled large pieces ashore. [...]

One Gaza Flotilla Boat Made it to Gaza—in Pieces - CovertAction Magazine Gaza Flotilla Boats Get Their Resilience from Palestinians Gaza flotilla boats have become like Palestinians. They—like Palestinians—have been attacked, beaten, partially destroyed, and thrown to the four winds by a brutal, violent Israeli government. Some of the 2026 Gaza flotilla boats were pu...