Can the US invade Cuba

Are there any weapons that Cuba has that are aimed at the US? Does China have any type of a presence there? Does Cuba have any allies?
I would be interested to see the answer to the China question.

China has a presence at BOTH ends of the Panama Canal, they are building the largest cargo facility on the planet in the Bahamas. If Cuba welcomed China with open arms, how steadfast would the US be in stopping the Chinese from occupying?

The US has a MAJOR base in Cuba. I cant imagine that another super power has managed to sneak anything significant there. Its possible, but unlikely.

We are already in Cuber! Its called GITMO

If the US wanted change in Cuba, we would have done it by now!

The US is playing the waiting game in regards to Cuba.

As soon as Castro dies, which could take another decade or two, Cuba will turn into a free market democracy.

No if ands or butts about it, it just a matter of when Castro dies.

People are ready and are in place to make this change, both in South Florida and in Cuba.

Cuba will be free, its just a matter of time.

I'll crunch numbers and check for Chinese presence and strength in various places in just a minute, as well as check out China's relationship with Cuba.

My kneejerk reaction is that America could not allow such a substantial base so near its homeland. The question is how America would react to a Chinese attempt to move troops to Cuba.
Blockade is one answer, but these are not missile parts we are taking about, and China is not the USSR. I get an impression of the Chinese as being proud, a tad hard-headed, and more concerned with the big picture than with immediate consequences. I do no believe China would order its ships to turn back unless America destroyed a few, and then China would be obligated to strike back against the US Navy, AT LEAST in a limited way.
So if sinking Chinese troops and hardware is out of the question, what can America do?
1. Make preparations for immediate UN oversight of new elections when Castro dies (we wont even have to rig these elections to get -part- of what we want at least) and either poison Castro or just fervently wish bad health upon him. Regime change before China can be invited in is the best route. A coup would be second-best, because our fingerprints would be all over it to begin with and they would -need- our help to win.
2. Force Castro into a war that can not be questioned. This would take the real and verifiable presence of WMD, widespread abuse approaching genocide, or a MASSIVE uprising to demand democracy. If we could get 20-50% of the cuban population to riot and stand up to Castro, nobody would be able to legitimately question us when we moved to depose Castro as long as this was an exemplary occupation. We would have to bring in latin American nations to lead the occupation and arrange UN monitored elections within 1 year the way I see it. The thing is that we can. Cuba isn't nearly as complex as Iraq.

More to follow

I dont think the Chinese have eye's for Cuba. I think they want the Middle east. War of atrition. Get the oil, get the money and they get the US. That simple.

And with Gitmo right there, I think Cuba is a "givme" for the US. So many other areas of interest more easily contested than Cuba. Cuba is basically in the freezer right now. Just waiting to be snatched up by the US...er...start a democratic state with the US's "help"

I think the US could invade Cuba anytime it wanted to. It's just not very likely - in spite of all the Cuban rhetoric - because all we have to do is sit back and wait for Castro to die and his 'revolution' to blow away in the wind like dust.

The really interesting side note to this is all the Holywood and media types that fawn all over Fidel like he was their personal saviour. Or is it because he's just about the last 'true communist' left for all those true believers to worship?

The only way that US will invade Cuba is if Castro step down on pass away to ensure that not other dictator rise to power, and I will agree that it will be the best think to do at the time.

Occurs we have to be carefully with the resistance that will probably raises from the Castro type of regime supporters, but truly I think most Cuban residents of the Island will welcome US intervention at that time, when the time comes.

As mentioned the US already has GITMO. Pretty major presence already if you ask me. Whether the US could take the country or not...... I don't know. I have to assume that China would intervene. Afterall they are just about the only two communist countries out there, right?

I have my doubts on whether or not China would intervene. They wouldn't want to risk hurting trade realations with the US. We have an economic sybiotic realationship that will prevent us from going to war with them any time soon.

To anwser the question of whether or not we can invade Cuba, yes. We can invade virtually any place on earth except Russia and maybe China. The only question is can we do it without turning the place in to a hellhole like we did with Iraq. I get the feeling that the Cubans would be more eager to embrace out capatalist ways than Iraq simply because they've been stuck with vintage cars for the last few decades. So Cuba just as easy to invade, maybe a little harder because of the terrain, but of course we could invade them.

After the invasion it would be easier politically than Iraq because the Cubans would have a future in tourism. Militarily it would be harder because of the mountainous and jungle terrain. Plus the Cubans are more expierced at fighting a guriella war.

Originally posted by centurion1211
I think the US could invade Cuba anytime it wanted to. It's just not very likely - in spite of all the Cuban rhetoric - because all we have to do is sit back and wait for Castro to die and his 'revolution' to blow away in the wind like dust.

The really interesting side note to this is all the Holywood and media types that fawn all over Fidel like he was their personal saviour. Or is it because he's just about the last 'true communist' left for all those true believers to worship?

Who in the "media" or hollywood fawns over castro??Do you really believe that?
Castro is not a communist,regardless of his rhetoric,he is a dictator.
America will never allow another foreign power to put a military base in our hemisphere.

My kneejerk reaction is that America could not allow such a substantial base so near its homeland. The question is how America would react to a Chinese attempt to move troops to Cuba. So if sinking Chinese troops and hardware is out of the question, what can America do?

I've been reading your posts and have seen a trend.
We would sink their transport-cruisers and that�s it. You seem to have some fancy about China. Truth is that in the end we would get our way. There is nothing special about them. The question of China actually getting stake in Cuba is laughable. You think the U.S. would actually cower to such nonsense? Rethink you�re logic...
Same goes with Russia... They got into Cuba at a time of the maturing of our surveillance technologies. To do something like that in this day and age, especially just off shore of the U.S. is completely impossible. You are forgetting that most in charge now where the grunts of Cold War time. They actually want a conflict to happen so we can impose our fist and show who is who. I think you already know who�s on top and is going to be for the foreseeable future...
Good for a nice alternate read none the less.

Why bother asking if they have ties with China or someone?

The CIA can fake the links so just feel free to go and invade, just like Vietnam, Iraq and any other counry the US has decided to take apart.


What was Operation Mongoose, apart from official state terror?

[edit on 22/12/2004 by Corinthas]