Former U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela Charles Shapiro said Monday that Cuba's economic and political system has collapsed, driving a mass exodus and worsening conditions across the island.
Speaking on Newsmax's "American Agenda," Shapiro described a country facing long-term structural failure, with millions of citizens fleeing and basic infrastructure deteriorating.
"The system has failed in Cuba. The economic system has failed," Shapiro said.
"Two million people have left the country in the last three years out of a total population of 11 million."
"The scale of that migration underscores the severity of the crisis," he added, noting that many Cubans no longer see a viable future under the current government.
"There's no future in Cuba for Cubans under the current economic and political system," Shapiro said.
Cuba has been grappling with a deepening economic downturn marked by fuel shortages, blackouts, and declining production.
The island's energy crisis has been exacerbated by reduced oil shipments, particularly from Venezuela, a longtime ally and key supplier.
Recent U.S. actions targeting Venezuelan oil exports have further strained Cuba's energy supply, contributing to widespread outages and instability in the country's electrical grid.
President Donald Trump last week pledged imminent action against Cuba's socialist government as his moves against the island bring the U.S.'s longtime opponent deeper into crisis.
A day after Trump's sanctions on Venezuela, including a stop to vital oil exports to Cuba, contributed to Cuba's latest nationwide blackout, Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio both said the administration sees the island nation as the next country where the U.S. can expand its influence.
"Cuba right now is in very bad shape," Trump said.
"And we'll be doing something with Cuba very soon," he added.
Shapiro said those pressures are compounding longstanding problems rather than creating new ones.
"Cutting off the oil from Venezuela adds to that," he said.
"But I got to tell you, the electrical system has been collapsing for years. This is not anything new."
Cuba's power grid has faced recurring failures, with outages lasting hours or even days in some areas.
The broader economic crisis has also led to shortages of food, medicine, and fuel, causing public frustration and sporadic protests.
Shapiro, who also served as the State Department's coordinator for Cuban affairs, said the combination of economic stagnation and political rigidity has left the government with few options.
Recent reporting indicates Cuba's economy has largely stalled due to energy shortages, with the country producing only a fraction of the fuel it needs to sustain electricity generation.
As conditions worsen, Shapiro suggested the continued outflow of people is likely to persist, further draining the country's workforce and long-term prospects.
"The folks are leaving," he said, pointing to migration as one of the clearest indicators of the country's deteriorating outlook.
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Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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