Cuba Experiences New Nationwide Blackout

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18 hrs ago

Above: Traffic lights turned off in Havana during a total blackout in Cuba on Sept. 10, 2025. Image copyright: Adalberto Roque/AFP/Getty Images

story last updated 18 hrs ago

The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

Cuba's blackouts stem from decades of communist central planning failures that have created an inefficient, crumbling electrical system. Central planners cannot produce reliable electricity because they lack market incentives and competition that drive innovation and proper resource allocation. The government's cash-strapped system diverts scarce resources to disaster relief instead of long-term infrastructure investment, creating a vicious cycle of neglect and failure.

The Heritage Foundation

Establishment-critical narrative

Cuba's energy crisis results directly from U.S. sanctions and the economic embargo that prevent it from obtaining foreign currency needed to buy fuel and repair aging power plants. These restrictive policies constitute economic warfare that has caused suffering for millions of Cubans by blocking access to essential resources. U.S. sanctions have made it impossible for Cuba to modernize its electrical infrastructure despite the country's efforts to overcome these external obstacles.

Granma