Andrés Pertierra

Proud to have my latest in @DissentMag’s Spring issue, going live today I go over the causes and consequences of the current crisis in Cuba

Impressive, sobering visual journalism: nytimes.com/interactive/20…

@jaysburningroom I think the point of the flotilla is to draw attention to the issue, not actually solve a massive logistical crisis. I do not imagine its organizers think otherwise

@ASPertierra Honestly speaking: how do you think the flotilla thing will develop? As just a quick Potemkin Village like trip, or does it has the potential to anger even more the already tired population and spark something ugly?

Opposing an oil blockade of a country that requires fossil fuel imports to function does not in any way contradict Greta's lifelong environmental activism; what are you talking about

Q: "Why didn't you tell U.S. allies…about the war before attacking Iran?" President Trump: "We wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn't you tell me about Pearl Harbor?"

“Although President Donald Trump says he has ‘destroyed 100% of Iran’s Military Capability’, the 0% that remains is playing havoc with the global economy.” -The Economist

A politician who enters into a non-aggression pact with climate change, sees his country get surprised attacked by climate change even though the signs were there, and then gets the credit for the sacrifices of the millions of everyday people who muddled through in spite of him?

Robin Williams truly had incredible acting range

“Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice, but you don't have to wait, since Costco is offering a 2-for-1 special on large bags of ice, perfect for your next party”

New: Dolores Huerta writes lengthy statement following @nytimes investigation into Cesar Chavez. Huerta says she had sexual encounters with Chavez resulting in 2 children. “I have kept a secret because I believed that exposing the truth would hurt the farm worker movement…”

"crypto and tulip farming" is a very funny bit

Honestly a surprisingly common tactic. 1) do not publish data or offer means through which official processes can be transparently investigated 2) dismiss out of hand criticisms using imperfect sources due to lack of better sources 3) refuse to ever publish evidence or details

One of the problems the Soviets had when trying to respond to Amnesty International's critical publications about political prisoners was that they couldn't do much outside of vague dismissive denials, as rebuttals required admitting to political prisoners & giving detailed data

@cdmxbrandon__ This is also the point I've made to the media org that asked me; especially since Cuba needs a steady flow of oil plus a ton of other help in order to stabilize. Russia has bigger priorities right now

@ASPertierra Russia has done virtually nothing to aid Iran despite having a mutual defense agreement with them so I expect that once this ship is intercepted they’ll shake their fists a bit and that’ll be that

It'll be arriving in a few weeks and once it does it'll still need weeks of refining, but if it docks and deposits all that oil it'll be the first oil shipment to the island in 3 months. Let's see if it's actually allowed to, though, and what Russia does if not

MUST READ: A bombshell NYT investigation shows that Cesar Chavez sexually abused young girls. Dolores Huerta also discloses for first time that that Chavez raped her. So much more from Manny Fernandez and Sarah Hurtes —> nytimes.com/2026/03/18/us/…

The two main types of responses that writing about Cuba will get you online

A former Belgian diplomat, 93, should stand trial over alleged complicity in the 1961 murder of Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of what was then the newly independent Congolese state, a Brussels court has ruled. trib.al/b3lD4Kd

Cuba restores power after 29-hour blackout amid US oil blockade reut.rs/4lU9aNj reut.rs/4lU9aNj

While in Lima last week I visited its oceanfront museum revisiting Peru's political violence from 1980-2000. This history gets vastly less international attention than Argentina, Brazil or Chile, even though estimated death toll was 34,000+ people -- roughly 10X that of Pinochet era. Maybe because the narratives are complex; the hard-left Shining Path was responsible for at least half the deaths, while state security forces also killed many. The so-called "Place of Memory, Tolerance and Social Inclusion" -- a notably vague name that reflects today's enduring sensitivities -- seemed balanced where appropriate while correctly laying most blame for atrocities at feet of the guerrillas. A hallway symbolizing the migration of millions who fled violence, with Quechua and Spanish phrases ("Huimos solo llevando nuestras vidas") was universally affecting at a time when record numbers in Latin America are on the move. Worth a visit.

Even more susprising/hard to explain than the oil price itself is oil volatility, which has been gently declining now for three days, despite as far as I can see almost no meaningful progress towards reopening the Strait

“Would you still love me if I was a worm?”