11 Million People in the Dark
Cuba is power grid collapsed again this week. The third time in March. 11 million people are living with rolling blackouts that last 12 to 20 hours a day. The island runs on Soviet-era power plants from the 1970s that need cheap oil to function.
Cheap oil does not exist anymore.
Why Nobody Is Talking About It
Iran dominates every headline. Every cable news chyron is about the Strait of Hormuz, the 82nd Airborne, or Trump versus Netanyahu. Cuba is 90 miles from Florida and its entire electrical infrastructure is failing. But it is not a market-moving story, so it does not get covered.
That is exactly why it matters.
The Pattern
Every major oil shock produces collateral damage far from the source. The 1973 crisis destabilized dozens of developing nations. The 2008 spike caused food riots from Haiti to Bangladesh. The current shock — oil sustained above $100 with a blocked strait — is hitting the most vulnerable countries first.
Cuba cannot afford fuel imports at current prices. They have no credit lines with Western banks. No strategic reserves. No alternatives. When the grid goes down, hospitals run on generators until the generator fuel runs out too.
Who Is Next
Pakistan is rationing electricity. Sri Lanka remembers its 2022 collapse and is stockpiling what it can. Several African nations that depend on Gulf oil are quietly preparing contingency plans.
The Iran war is in the Middle East. The casualties are everywhere. Cuba is just the most visible because a grid collapse is impossible to hide — but the slow-motion energy crises building across the developing world are just as dangerous and far less visible.
