Cuba in agony: Can it still change on its own?

Havana, once associated with carefree entertainment, is becoming a desert of energy shortages, mass emigration and an uncertain future. Yet five years after Cuba’s mass anti-government protests, the streets showed little of the upheaval seen in 2021.

The anniversary of the July 11 movement, known as 11-J, passed with only a few small groups in Cuba banging pots. In Miami, several hundred people called for a change of regime. The contrast is striking: the island is experiencing what the article describes as the worst crisis in its history, while the anniversary brought far fewer protesters than the thousands who demonstrated in 2021.

The moment also carries a deep paradox. For 67 years, the Cuban state has accused the United States of aggression and of bringing the island to ruin. Today, however, Cubans are looking to America for salvation.

That expectation comes as the U.S. administration urges change with an intensity it has not shown before. But inside Cuba, the fifth anniversary of 11-J produced only scattered public protest, even as the country’s shortages, departures and uncertainty continue to reshape daily life.