On the beaches east of Havana, you can still see rusted remnants of watchtowers on the roofs of buildings along the island’s northern coast. Constructed in the early 1960s, after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, these emplacements were designed to provide early warning of an attack by the United States—or “the Empire,” in Cuban revolutionary parlance. But by the time I saw them in 2002, during my ...
The article presents a compelling case for diplomatic engagement over military coercion in U.S.-Cuba relations, but it also reveals deeper patterns worth scrutinizing. The strongest version of its argument—steelman—is that military intervention in Cuba would be counterproductive, leading to prolonged conflict rather than swift regime change, and that diplomacy offers a more sustainable path to reform. The piece effectively highlights the risks of escalation, including Cuba’s preparedness for ins...