Venezuela and Cuba – Not quite the same!
By: Obie Usategui
1/7/2026

As we all know by now, in the aftermath of the fall of the Maduro regime last week, there has been all kinds of speculative talk on all the news regarding Cuba and how the latter will follow in Maduro’s footsteps and fall. Our own Marco Rubio has been asked a few times if the U.S. is contemplating similar actions with Cuba. Time and time again, every time the subject comes up, responders kind of agree to the possibility that Cuba could also face the same faith, however, all leave it in a true “limbo” mode, neither fully admitting nor denying what will happen.

That said, nonetheless, I got to thinking about the subject of a fall of the Cuban regime, assuming it happens soon and it dawned on me, if it did happen, just how different it would be from what just happened in the Maduro / Venezuela situation. Bet not many of you have thought of the points that I want to make assuming the fall of the Castro regime tomorrow. Yes, no doubt there would be jubilation in the Cuban American community, specially here in Miami which is home to one of the largest Cuban diasporas in the world.

Notwithstanding the obvious joy that it would bring to many, I dare say, it would not nearly resemble the massive collective joy of Venezuela with Maduro’s downfall. Reason, simply said, Venezuela’s communist dictatorship lasted a meager 27 years. My use of the word meager here as compared to Castro’s regime, now entering its 67 years and counting – again, a scanty difference of 40 more years of communism between Cuba and Venezuela. And, if you do not think that makes a difference, I got news for you. As a matter of fact, that difference has a significant impact in more ways than one.

For starters, we must understand that 67 years is equivalent to almost one entire generation as this number is just a tad shorter than today’s life expectancy average of 73.4 years. What this translates into is most all Cuban Americans that originally fled the island are now dead. The older generation now past away were, by far, [the] most affected by the uprooting of the homeland, by the dramatic and radical changes suffered by all those fled Cuba in the early 1960’s, all now resting in peace, unable to enjoy a possible fall of the regime today.

So…where does that leave us? Well, it leaves us with a Miami, Cuban American culture which is melting pot, composed of a mixture of main clusters of so-called exiles, to wit, you have a generation of baby-boomers, people my age in their eighties and seventies, who, have been, for the most part Americanized. Most all in this cohort, have made a new life in this country to where, unlike me, Cuba is sort of something in the past, like something from another era. People, who, despite it all, have become detached of their Cuban heritage and legacy. To most of them, that legacy and heritage died with their parents’ passing. Mind you, some in this cluster, have even been traveling to Cuba as tourists – an action which would have been unthinkable, treasonous, to the old exile community.

Other than the old non-caring baby boomers, a great many of the so-called “new exiles,” those that left Cuba in the last twenty years, are not, repeat, are not political refugees, nor are they in Miami seeking political refuge from the Castro’s dynasty. Quite the contrary, as a matter of fact, all in this category left Cuba looking for a better life. Their objective of coming to the “Yuma” – the term used by Cubans to refer to the United States, looking for economic opportunities. Many of those in this group, really, do not care less about having a communist government ruling their homeland. As a matter of fact, again, many in this category even support the Castro regime or did so for a good part of their lives. I cannot tell you how many Cubans are in this category, but let us just say, there are quite a few. Many in this group also live a double life, both here and in Cuba, traveling back and forth with no feelings whatsoever for any political rhetoric – one way or the other.

The remaining group in the so-called Cuban Americans community are a true melting pot, of second and third generations that followed the old exiles. You know, these are the grandsons, granddaughters or great grandsons and great granddaughters of the original exiles. In this category, we find a great many who, having been born here, have no ties to Cuba whatsoever. Cuba to them is like some old concept of their grandparents. Many in this group do not speak our native Spanish language and frankly, could not care less about that Caribbean island where their ancestry, grandpa and grandma, came from.

I should also point out that, besides all else, blended within the melting pot exile, you have many, from all walks of life, who, with time, were indoctrinated, radicalized and became a part of today’s liberal democratic coalition – one that outright supports Marxist ideas, identical to the ideology predicated by Castro’s Communist regime. These Cuban American democrat liberals should not be thought of as part of the original exile community who fled precisely because of a government that boasted the same ideologies as those now hailed by democrats in the U.S. Doubt that any in this category will experience any joy with the downfall of the Castro regime. Who knows, some may even be sadden.

So…there you have it friends. Yes, if the Castro regime were to fall tomorrow, the actual people on the streets waiving flags, chanting, and honking horns would be quite different than the Venezuelans we saw Saturday in our T.V.’s. If you really think about, sad as it may sound, the Cuban counterparts of today’s Venezuelan exile community are mostly gone. Many of those gone, like Venezuelans today, did in fact, go out on the streets to celebrate Castro’s fall many, many times. Time and time again, Cubans celebrated the fall of Castro based on unfounded rumors, all of which turned out to be just that: wishful thinking. How many times in the last 67 years, have Cuban gathering on the iconic S.W. 8th St, restaurant Versalles, only to go home after-the-fact, regretting that it was all a false rumor that Castro had fallen?

Unlike Venezuela, Cuba has not had a Donald Trump on their side over the past 67 years. Unlike Venezuela, what we had was a John F. Kennedy who sealed our faith by failing to support our beloved 2506 Bay of Pigs Brigade invasion on April 17th , 1961 – “a day that will live in infamy” same as Franklin D. Roosevelt labeled the Japanese attack to Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. April 17th, 1961, was our last lost chance to have the freedom that Donald J. Trump just handed in a silver platter to Venezuelans last Saturday.

If Trump were to give us Cubans the same gift soon, yes, there will be joy, there will be happiness, there will be cause for celebration. That said, however our joy, our happiness, our celebrations will be somewhat tempered by the absence of those most deserving that were not able to enjoy it and by many others whose lives have been marked by disappointments of the many presidents who, in the last 67 years, have cared less to have a free Cuba like we should have had – like Venezuelans now have. Viva Cuba Libre!