July 10, 2026 — Belly of the Beast

On Tuesday, the UN General Assembly voted 136-9, with 30 abstentions, to hold a debate regarding the U.S. economic war against Cuba.

The result was not as lopsided as the annual vote to condemn the embargo at the UN General Assembly’s fall session, when the combined number of opposing votes and abstentions can typically be counted on one hand. The modest shift away from Cuba appears to be the result of U.S. pressure, with most of the movement coming from Europe (16 abstentions and 3 opposing votes) and Latin America (5 abstentions and 3 opposing votes). Notably, Canada, which had historically defied U.S. pressure over its relations with Cuba, abstained. Israel, as always, voted with the United States.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio had lobbied countries to prevent holding the debate at all, according to a leaked State Department cable obtained by The Nation. In addition, Rubio instructed U.S. diplomats to pressure host governments considered to be U.S. allies to criticize Cuba during the debate. Nonaligned countries were to be told to stay silent and countries that have traditionally supported ending the embargo were to be informed that “the United States will be listening very closely” to their statements on the issue.

In the end, only five countries — the United States, Czechia, Chile, Costa Rica and Paraguay — spoke critically of Cuba, while 43 countries condemned U.S. sanctions, in addition to statements on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, ASEAN and the Non-Aligned Movement.

In a remarkable denial of reality, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz insisted the U.S. embargo does not exist, and then proceeded to criticize Cuba for human rights abuses.

Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla pushed back, arguing that U.S. sanctions since 2017 have increased childhood cancer deaths while infant mortality rates have more than doubled. Rodríguez also warned that U.S. hostility toward Cuba is part of a broader pattern, calling it “a prelude to what could happen to any other country tomorrow.”

​Watch Cuba’s foreign minister call out Waltz for denying the existence of the U.S. blockade.

Havana, July 9 (Prensa Latina) Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez today thanked organizations, intellectuals and activists from 58 countries for their support of the manifesto against the United States’ military aggression towards the island.

Promoted by the Nuestra América Collective and supported by more than 8,840 signatures, the text also condemns the hostility of the United States against the Caribbean nation.

In a message posted on social media, the Foreign Minister described that support as a show of international solidarity with Cuba.

According to Rodríguez, the manifesto denounces the escalation of aggression against the Cuban people and the humanitarian effects that, according to its promoters, are caused by the energy blockade, secondary sanctions and the tightening of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States.

The head of Cuban diplomacy stated that the pronouncement constitutes further evidence that Cuba “is not alone in this fight” and reiterated the message that “Cuba is not a threat; the blockade is.”

The manifesto remains open to new signatories through the Solidarity Without Blockade platform.

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United Nations, July 7 (Prensa Latina) The United States government tried unsuccessfully today to prevent a debate on the economic, commercial and financial blockade of that country against Cuba at the United Nations General Assembly, at its headquarters in New York.

• July 7, 2026 | 10:57

Jeffrey Bartos, the United States representative for UN Management and Reform, failed to do so after 136 countries voted in favor of including the issue on the agenda, nine voted against, and 30 abstained.

Once again, Washington tried to blame the Cuban government for the limitations the island faces while it enforces a genocidal blockade against that nation.

Bartos stated that the United States objects to holding a new debate on that issue during the eightieth session of the General Assembly.

The US representative asserted that Cuba has been without power since Monday, but failed to mention the oil embargo imposed by the White House, which hinders fuel supplies to the island.

During his speech, he stated that the generators “are not lighting the refrigerators of Cubans, nor the cells of political prisoners, nor those waiting for oxygen or surgeries in hospitals.”

The diplomat stated that the cost of the meeting could be used for other needs and maintained that the Cuban government seeks to use the debate as a propaganda tool, without mentioning US policy.

Washington maintains a policy of economic, financial, migratory, technological and extraterritorial pressure against Cuba aimed at punishing the Cuban people, suffocating its economy and persecuting third countries, companies and individuals that maintain legitimate links with the largest of the Antilles.

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United Nations, July 7 (Prensa Latina) The UN General Assembly today approved by a large majority the opening of a debate on the need to end the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba.

Despite attempts by the US delegation to avoid discussing the issue, the debate received the support of 136 nations, with only nine votes against and 30 abstentions.

Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez is leading the Cuban delegation at this urgent session, where Havana will present a formal complaint against Washington’s aggressive actions, including the energy blockade that has jeopardized essential services such as health, food, and transportation.

The Cuban complaint comes amid intense diplomatic pressure from the United States to prevent the UN from discussing the effects of the more than 60-year-old economic, commercial and financial blockade.

A State Department cable, signed by Secretary Marco Rubio and leaked to The Nation, urged US ambassadors around the world to prevent the United Nations from addressing the effects of the aggressive economic policy on the Cuban people this Tuesday.

Even with such pressure, the discussion was given the green light and there is already a long list of speakers requesting to speak, as reported in the session.

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https://www.bellyofthebeastcuba.com/why-this-cuban-american-returned-to-cuba-after-20-years-away

July 2, 2026 — Belly of the Beast

After more than two decades away, Cuban-American teacher and activist Lavender returned to Cuba, the place her family always considered home.

Walking through Havana, she reflected on identity, belonging and the complicated relationship many Cuban Americans have with the island.

She spoke about the changes she has witnessed in Cuba, including the evolution of attitudes toward LGBTQ+ people, and why she believes listening to ordinary Cubans is essential.

“I stand proud, and I stand tall because that’s what Cuba taught me,” she said.

U.S. Voices Against the Blockade is a series featuring U.S. activists who oppose U.S. sanctions on Cuba. Watch Episode 6 to see Lavender’s story and stay tuned to hear other people from the United States speaking out against U.S. sanctions.

Mexico City, July 1 (Prensa Latina) The Mexican Movement of Solidarity with Cuba and other organizations today called for participation on July 26, National Rebellion Day on the island, in a march in defense of the Caribbean nation.

During a press conference in this capital, the organizers specified that the route will begin at 10:30 local time that day at the Hemiciclo a Juárez monument and will culminate in front of the former United States Embassy here, located on Paseo de la Reforma Avenue.

They called on organizations, social movements, unions, students, academics, religious groups, artists and citizens to join this initiative for the 73rd anniversary of the attacks on the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes barracks, in the east of the Caribbean country.

They recalled that such actions were “led by Fidel Castro as the beginning of the struggle that would lead to the triumph of the Cuban Revolution on January 1, 1959,” and stressed that the largest of the Antilles “continues to be a benchmark of dignity, sovereignty and social justice.”

The organizers denounced that the Cuban people are currently facing “the most complex situation in their history” and described the intensification of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by Washington as the main obstacle to the development of that nation.

“The aggressions against Cuba have escalated: pressure is being exerted on companies that maintain operations on the island; the arrival of energy products is being prevented, and attempts are being made to suffocate the country to cause the collapse of its economy and generate conditions of internal destabilization,” they pointed out.

In his view, the consequences of “this genocidal policy” are manifested in a profound crisis that affects the daily lives of millions of people.

They pointed out that “this offensive is compounded by the cynical attempt promoted from US courts against Army General Raúl Castro,” which in their opinion constitutes an expression of the policy of hostility that seeks to set precedents for new aggressions against sovereignty.

“This escalation forces us to be alert to the real risk that the United States will consider direct military intervention as a last resort against a people who have defeated all attempts to destroy their revolutionary process for more than 60 years,” they said.

The organizers considered it essential to endorse a broad, pluralistic and unified expression of solidarity with Cuba, capable of bringing together the voices willing to defend its right to exist and develop without external interference or aggression.

They stressed that defending the Revolution is not just the responsibility of Cubans, as it is a cause for those who fight for the self-determination of peoples, peace, sovereignty, non-intervention and anti-imperialism, in addition to representing the defense of Mexico.

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Havana, June 30 (Prensa Latina) Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez announced today that Cuba has requested a UN session for July 7 against the US blockade and denounced Washington’s pressure to prevent the debate.

In a press conference, the Foreign Minister stressed that the United States’ multidimensional aggression against Cuba “is not a future danger or threat, it is a crime against humanity in full execution.”

Rodríguez denounced that the energy blockade and other measures of extreme intensification of the blockade constitute “an act of genocide also classified as a collective punishment and a massive, flagrant and systematic violation of the human rights of Cubans and of international humanitarian law.”

The foreign minister stated that Cuba is not and cannot be a threat to the United States, a great military and nuclear power.

“The blockade and the policy of aggression and hostility of the United States Government against Cuba is a threat to the existence and well-being of the Cuban people, to the exercise of their human rights,” he stressed.

The Cuban diplomat recalled that the blockade has been condemned 31 times by the General Assembly with the support of the vast majority of the international community, and expressed his certainty that this support will be maintained in the next session.

Rodríguez denounced that the US government has deployed “an inconceivable effort” to prevent the session, using pressure, blackmail and threats against governments and foreign ministries of other states.

“The permanent mission of the United States in New York is threatening to take legal action to prevent the General Assembly from meeting and deliberating on this issue,” he said.

The Cuban foreign minister revealed that the State Department’s diplomatic apparatus is trying to prevent the General Assembly from considering a matter of global interest, using pressure and threats to intimidate member states.

“They are trying to censor her voice and her right to speak out on a matter directly related to international peace and security and the well-being of an entire people,” he added.

Rodríguez expressed his confidence that the vast majority of the international community would support Cuba at the July 7 session, which he considered “upholding international law and the Charter of the United Nations.”

The chancellor recalled that “the General Assembly, the most democratic, universal and representative body of the United Nations, will be able to address this issue objectively and surely in accordance with the purposes and principles of the Charter.”

“This is an urgent situation because the multidimensional aggression of the United States government against Cuba is already underway and intensifying. Its humanitarian damage is growing, and the suffering and deprivation it inflicts on our people increases every day,” he concluded.

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