Socialism in name only

Cuba today functions less as an ideological socialist economy and more as a post‑ideological, military‑commercial oligarchy: public provisioning has collapsed (rations pared back, blackouts, 23% GDP drop since 2019), while dollarized enclaves and state‑linked firms appropriate scarce goods. The state keeps revolutionary symbols and rhetoric, but economic power flows to a military‑business elite that manages access to imports, tourism dollars, and distribution channels. — This reframing matters for foreign policy and migration debates because it changes how outsiders should treat Cuba — as a predatory, extractive state apparatus rather than a redistributive socialist model — which affects sanctions, aid, and diplomatic strategy.