Recent developments point to a U.S. effort to lay the groundwork for using force against Cuba, most likely in the form of a targeted operation to capture key, high-ranking officials, though a scenario of more extensive U.S. military operations remains possible. On May 20, U.S. federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment charging former Cuban President Raul Castro (2008-2018) on various charges in connection with the Cuban government's fatal downing of two planes piloted by U.S.-based exiles in 1996. The same day, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (the son of Cuban immigrants) released a Spanish-language video addressed to the Cuban people in which he blamed recent hardships on the country's communist leadership and said "President [Donald] Trump is offering a new relationship between the U.S. and Cuba. But it must be directly with you, the Cuban people, not with GAESA," a reference to Cuba's highly influential military conglomerate. Rubio also said...
