Historian Ada Ferrer said that recent U.S. energy sanctions have deepened a dire economic crisis and humanitarian emergency on the island of Cuba.
Ferrer's observations highlight the intersection of geopolitical policy and human suffering. As the U.S. maintains an embargo that has lasted over six decades [2], new restrictions on energy have exacerbated existing shortages, contributing to a record exodus of Cubans from the island [4].
Speaking on Democracy Now! this Thursday, Ferrer said the specific impact of an energy blockade announced five months ago [1]. She said that these measures have worsened the daily lives of citizens already struggling with a long-term economic decline.
“The situation there is dire,” Ferrer said. “It has been for quite some time, and …”
Beyond the current political crisis, Ferrer is exploring the generational trauma of the Cuban Revolution in her memoir, “Keeper of My Kin,” released last month. The book examines the forces that shaped both Cuba and the U.S., focusing on the lasting personal impact of family separation across borders.
Ferrer, who won the Pulitzer Prize for History in 2022 [3], uses her academic background and personal history to illustrate how political upheavals dismantle kinship ties. The memoir serves as a reflection on the fragmented identities of those caught between two nations, a result of the revolutionary shifts that displaced thousands of families.
By connecting the macro-level effects of sanctions with the micro-level experience of family loss, Ferrer said that the humanitarian cost of foreign policy is often measured in broken homes and lost heritage. The current economic instability further complicates the ability of separated families to reconnect or find stability.
““The situation there is dire,” said Cuban American historian Ada Ferrer.”
The intersection of Ferrer's academic work and her personal memoir underscores a broader pattern where U.S. foreign policy—specifically the long-term embargo and recent energy sanctions—interacts with Cuba's internal governance to accelerate migration and economic instability. This suggests that the 'record exodus' is not merely a result of domestic Cuban policy, but a compounded effect of international pressure and historical family displacement.
