Cuban drones threaten Florida? Axios fabricates pretext for US imperialist attack

On 17 May, the US media outlet Axios published an article with the headline ‘Exclusive: U.S. eyes attack-drone threat from Cuba’. This scandalous piece of disinformation would be laughable if it weren't so dangerous. What we have here is not journalism, but a news website being used to fabricate a pretext for US imperialist aggression.

The idea that Cuba, a small nation under blockade from the most powerful imperialist power on Earth, a blockade which has led to 22-hour-long power cuts and a massive economic crisis which is grinding the country to a halt, is somehow about to launch an offensive drone attack on the US Navy and US territory, is a blatant lie.

Axios is being used by someone in the US war party to build up the case for a military attack on Cuba, as the brutal escalation of imperialist bullying has not yet achieved its main aim: the crushing of the Cuban Revolution.

“Attack-drone threat from Cuba”?

The ‘article’ starts in a dramatic way:

“Cuba has acquired more than 300 military drones and recently began discussing plans to use them to attack the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, U.S. military vessels and possibly Key West, Fla., 90 miles north of Havana.”

Right from the beginning, a sense of urgency is conveyed: “recently”, they tell us. This is not just a vague threat, but something imminent, we are told. To reinforce the sense of threat, specific locations for these drone attacks are mentioned, including Key West, a small town of 25,000 residents. The implication is clear: Cuba is prepared to attack civilians on US soil!

This would be quite a serious matter if it were true. How does Marc Caputo, the guy who penned Axios’ ‘scoop’ – I hesitate to call him a journalist – know about this imminent threat of attack? Ah well, “according to classified intelligence shared with Axios.” 

In other words, a “senior intelligence official” decided it was time to up the ante regarding Cuba, to paint the small Caribbean nation as a threat, in order to justify a military attack… and Marc Caputo thought it was a good idea to print it without even bothering to double-check the story he was being fed.

As the saying goes, don't let the truth get in the way of a good story and a click-baity headline!

But whoever concocted this pack of lies thought that perhaps drones alone were not enough to create a sense of fear at the evil “Cuban threat”, so they decided to spice it up a bit more.

The threat is not just drones, but also the IRANIANS! Let's see: “the Trump administration sees Cuba as a threat because of developments in drone warfare and the presence of Iranian military advisers in Havana.”

Again, Caputo takes his “source” (perhaps ‘handler’ would describe this relationship better) in the Department of War at face value, does not ask for any evidence, and does no research of his own. After all, everyone knows Iranian military advisors are in Havana! Or do they? A simple web search reveals that there are no previous reports whatsoever of Iranian military advisors in Havana. None. This has not previously featured in any of the attempts of US imperialism to fabricate a case against Cuba. 

While we are at it, Caputo and his senior intelligence official mate thought: which other bogey men can we bring into this horror tale? Oh, sure: Russia and China are spying on the US from Cuba; Cuba is sending thousands of soldiers to fight in Ukraine; and – the cherry on the top – “it's considered the ‘head of the snake,’ exporting revolutionary Marxism throughout Latin America.”

Listen to the language: “it’s considered”, considered by whom? Any evidence, a second source backing up the assertion? Why bother? Surely Caputo does not need any of that; he was born in Florida, went to the University of Miami and has “unique knowledge and contacts”. He knows revolutionary Marxism being exported when he sees it!

Reality check

But even our friend Caputo feels a bit uneasy about publishing this stuff and wants to cover his backside. So, by the end of the piece, he is compelled to add a disclaimer: 

“Reality check: U.S. officials don't believe Cuba is an imminent threat, or actively planning to attack American interests.” 

What?! Not an imminent threat? Is this not what he just wrote in the headline and the first two paragraphs? Was this not the whole point of the “exclusive”? “It’s a growing threat”, said his intelligence official right at the top of the article.

Why write a whole article bigging up a non-existent Cuban threat, to then, right at the end, add a sentence which destroys the whole premise? Cuba is not an imminent threat and is not actively planning to attack the US. 

The reason is simple, because the truth would not have made a good headline and would not have served the purpose of fabricating a casus belli. Imagine if Caputo had written in the headline: ‘Exclusive: Cuba not an imminent threat, not planning to attack America.’ 

So, if Cuba is not planning to attack US interests – interests Caputo detailed in his opening paragraph – then what are we talking about? Let’s see what Caputo’s buddy tells us: 

“U.S intelligence indicates the island's military officials have been discussing drone warfare plans in case hostilities erupt as relations with the U.S. continue to deteriorate.”

In plain English, US intelligence thinks that the Cuban military has discussed using drones to defend themselves in case of a US attack. A US imperialist attack, yes, because “hostilities” do not just “erupt”.

Let us be clear about this: Cuba has the right to defend itself (or is that right reserved to Israel only?) by any means at their disposal in the face of an unprecedented escalation of threats and bullying by the US for over 60 years, but particularly since the beginning of the year.

It is to be hoped that Cuba has acquired drones and any other means of defence. It is to be hoped that it is learning from the Iranians on how to respond to US military aggression. If they were not doing so, that would be betrayal. 

Yellow journalism

The aim of the article in Axios, and that of the US administration source which planted it via Caputo, is crystal clear: to paint Cuba as the aggressor in order to provide a veneer of justification for an imperialist attack.

This tactic is as old as warfare itself, and the US has become very skilled at it over the decades. The sinking of the USS Maine was used to whip public opinion in the war with Spain over Cuba at the end of the 19th century; the attack on Pearl Harbor was skilfully used to turn public opinion in favour of US entry into WWII; the fabricated ‘Gulf of Tonkin incident’ was used to justify a declaration of war against Vietnam in the 1960s; non-existent weapons of mass destruction were used to launch the invasion of Iraq in 2003. 

Just this year, the allegation that Nicolas Maduro was the head of the non-existent Cartel de los Soles was fabricated in order to legitimise his kidnapping on 3 January. Remember that the existence of the Cartel de los Soles was dropped from the actual US indictment of Maduro, once he was already in custody, after it had already served its propaganda purpose.

The US imperialist campaign against Cuba is a multi-pronged attack. It involves measures to destroy the Cuban economy, a naval oil blockade, extraterritorial sanctions, public threats and bullying, diplomatic pressure, the threat of military action, provocative spy flights to gather intelligence, but also the media, which has the role of softening up public opinion.

This latest article in Axios is a complete scandal from the point of view of journalism, something which should not surprise us. The capitalist media is owned by billionaires (in this particular case Cox Enterprises) who use it to spread capitalist lies.

It would seem that now they have lost even the pretence of adhering to neutrality and truthfulness. Talk of fake news! In the last few months, Axios seems to have become the preferred direct conduit for the Trump administration to plant stories in order to manipulate public opinion and send messages to those the US wants to subjugate.

With a story like this, Washington wants to achieve two things. One is to provide a justification for military intervention, to prepare public opinion by demonising the would-be victim, to present an attack as a defensive move. This is even said openly in Caputo’s piece. It states, without blushing, that this “intelligence could become a pretext for U.S. military action”.

The second is to send a message to the Cuban leadership that an attack may be imminent unless they comply with US blackmail, thus increasing the pressure. 

Let us repeat: we hope Cuba is preparing seriously for military aggression, including by acquiring drones and studying the US disaster in Iran. 

As for exporting revolutionary Marxism across Latin America, we wish this had been the case, as Cuba would find itself less isolated today. That is a task that we dedicate ourselves to. The fate of the Cuban Revolution will be decided ultimately in the arena of class struggle in Latin America and beyond. Revolutionary Marxism is a necessary prerequisite for the victory of the working class. 

Now more than ever, we say: Hands off the Cuban Revolution!

PS. Axios’ story was detailed in naming the targets which were allegedly threatened by the nasty, evil, offensive Cuban drones. It specified that Key West was at risk. Late on 17 May, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, which covers the area of the Florida Keys, was forced to issue a public rebuttal of the Axios story. 

It read: 

“Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay has not been contacted by any federal or state authorities regarding news reports Sunday of any possible military action taken by Cuba against the U.S. military base in Cuba at Guantanamo Bay using drones.”

Sheriff Ramsay is quoted as saying: 

“I am monitoring the situation, but I have not been contacted by any government agency and I don’t believe there is any reason to be concerned.”

One would think that if the US government knew that those pesky Cubans were a threat to Key West, the Sheriff’s office would be the first ones to be told.

You could not make it up! Or rather, Caputo could, with a bit of help from a source in the War Department.