Flags of Cuba and United States. Photo: File photo.
Nearly two-thirds also agree that the war in Iran has harmed Americans and the world.
Washington, DC — A new poll by YouGov finds that 64 percent of Americans oppose the US going to war against Cuba, while 15 percent support it and 21 percent are not sure.
Among those who express a view, 81 percent are against a war.
“This should make President Trump think twice about another ‘war of choice,’” said Mark Weisbrot, Senior Economist and Co-Director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR). “Almost all of the experts on Cuba would laugh at the idea that Cuba presents a security threat to the United States. And the war against Iran has already cost Trump and his party significant support.”
The YouGov poll, sponsored by CEPR, found that respondents agreed that the war in Iran has harmed Americans and the world, by a margin of 62 percent to 24 percent.
“Trump ran for office promising ‘no wars’ and that he would bring down prices. Instead, he started a war that has raised prices and will likely continue to do so for some time.”
President Trump has repeatedly threatened to go to war with Cuba. On March 16 he said that he will “have the honor of taking Cuba,” and “I can do anything I want” with Cuba.
He followed up less than two weeks later with:
“I built this great military. I said, ‘You’ll never have to use it.’ But sometimes you have to use it. And Cuba is next by the way.”
Trump reiterated this position on May 1, saying that the United States would be “taking over” Cuba “almost immediately.” The same day, he issued an executive order expanding sanctions against Cuba. Among other restrictions, the order enables the sanctioning of third-country companies and financial institutions, many of which are likely European or Canadian, that are judged by the US to have conducted transactions with the Cuban government or to have operated in the energy, defense, mining, financial services, or security sectors of the Cuban economy.
The current sanctions against Cuba have already been expanded enormously since 2017, culminating in a devastating blockade that has included a cutoff of oil. The expansion of sanctions has caused infant mortality to rise by 148 percent over the past eight years. Cuba’s infant mortality rate was one of the lowest in the hemisphere, lower than that of the United States, before the increase in sanctions.
“It is clear that the increase in sanctions is responsible for this huge increase in infant deaths,” said Alex Main, Director of International Policy at CEPR. “The oil blockade has been especially inhumane, disrupting the operation of ventilators, inhalers, and other crucial medical equipment and crippling emergency transportation. More than 80 percent of Cuba’s electricity is based on oil and oil products.”
On April 7, President Trump threatened Iran, saying: “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.” Amnesty International condemned Trump’s statements as “a threat of extermination” that “may constitute a threat to commit genocide” revealing “a staggering level of cruelty and disregard for human life.” Other human rights experts and organizations made similar statements.
Respondents agreed with Amnesty International’s description of this statement by a 58 percent to 25 percent majority. By a 54 percent to 35 percent majority, they also said that he was not fit to be president.
Among the respondents, those who identified as Independents were very strongly against these wars and threats. For example, they opposed a war with Cuba by a 68 percent to 25 percent majority. These voters are about equally divided between Democratic-leaning and Republican-leaning, and are seen as containing a substantial number of swing voters for the November election.
Weisbrot noted that this was another warning sign that a war with Cuba could have electoral consequences in November. He also noted that Trump has stated that he is looking to start a war with Cuba when he pulls out of Iran.
“It is unusual in history for a leader to use another war as a distraction for a war that is unpopular among voters and has harmed them,” said Weisbrot. “But this seems like a real possibility here. Distraction has played an unprecedented role in Trump’s political strategy, for campaigning, governing, and dominating the news cycle.”
(CEPR)
