It’s not a humanitarian mission: This is the real reason the U.S. wants to take over Cuba

The Cuban people have suffered decades of hardship, but nothing like they are currently experiencing. Prior to the United States capturing former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, the island nation could rely on shipments of oil from their neighbor on the other side of the Caribbean.

However, now the Trump administration has rerouted oil from Venezuela to refineries in the U.S. and imposed an energy embargo on Cuba, throwing the island into darkness. This along with other actions are part of the White House’s plans to topple the Cuban Communist regime, saying it is to blame for the “unimaginable hardships” of the island’s residents.

Trump has called Cuba “a failing nation” and declared a national emergency saying that it poses “an unusual and extraordinary threat” to U.S. national security. He has also stated that his actions are in support of Cuban expatriates living in the U.S. “They have their family there. They haven’t been able to see them in years,” he said.

However, while Trump may be indicating that this is some kind of humanitarian action to save Cubans from an “illegitimate regime,” others see his motives coming from somewhere else, securing valuable mineral resources and business opportunities for American businesses.

The real reason the U.S. wants to take over Cuba

Fidel Castro came to power in the wake of the 1959 conclusion of the Cuban Revolution, which overthrew the U.S.-backed government of Fulgencio Batista. The new regime went about nationalizing American-owned properties like the Nicaro nickel plant and the Moa Bay nickel complex, points out Vivian Salama in an article she wrote for The Atlantic.

Both facilities, which were built by the U.S., are located along the coast of eastern Cuba and have some of the largest cobalt and nickel deposits in the world. Nickel and cobalt have been major sources of revenue for Cuba but expanded U.S. sanctions have made foreign entities rethink operations.

While Nicaro was permanently closed in 2012, Moa Bay has been operated under a joint-venture partnership with Canadian-based Sherritt International since 1994. The nickel and cobalt miner and refiner announced that it would dissolve its partnership with the Cuban state company running the facility in early May after the new U.S. sanctions were announced.

However, more recently Sherritt said it was merely suspending operation and that it had signed a non-binding agreement with Gillion Capital to buy a majority stake in the company. The deal would give a 55% stake in Sherritt to Gillion, a family office with links to former Trump adviser Ray Washburne, and which would be at a discount compared to its closing price on May 15.

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