Havanna a bad time
Hello from Atlanta and Cuba,
Joining me this week is my dear friend and former colleague Patrick Oppmann, who is CNN's Havana bureau chief.
When Marco Rubio was tapped to be Trump's new Secretary of State, I immediately called up Patrick. There are many uncertainties about second Trump term but one thing is clear; Cuba is in the cross-hairs of Rubio, who sees it as his personal mission to bring down the regime.
Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban exiles, will consider the downfall of the Cuban leadership as low-hanging fruit. Times are tougher than ever - as Patrick tells me - and that makes it an extremely vulnerable moment. Beijing, Iran, Israel are all knotty problems with regional implications. Kicking down the Cubans would be a considered an easy, early win for Rubio.
I love Cuba. I reported on the historic visit of President Obama when there was a brief opening up of diplomatic relations. There was a real sense of hope that the country was moving forward. In those heady days, in a Havana park, we all watched the Rolling Stones play live. How things change. When Fidel Castro died, Patrick broke the news, and we both reported on his funeral with ever-present intelligence agents hovering around us and listening to our every word (as if they would be reporting back to Fidel in the afterlife on our 'anti-revolutionary' analysis.)
My husband Kim was running CNN's coverage during those days of breaking news. We've spent some of the best times of our life hanging out with Patrick and drinking rum in Havana. Whatever happens, I hope the Cuban people are sparred more hardships.
Havana has always been a special place with a romantic mystique that still lingers from before the Revolution. During one of those trips, after my show was over, I walked around Old Havana exploring. Kim called and asked where I was. "In the bar that Hemmingway used to drink at, " I replied while nursing a local rum on the rocks. I heard him checking with Patrick who was with him at the CNN bureau, "Hemmingway drank in every bar in Havana, you're going to have be more specific."
Trump's presidency has enormous implications for America, and the world. We cannot know how it's going to play out. But I do know, for sure, there is going to be seismic repercussions for the people of Cuba.
Best,
Robyn
