Security & Strategic Review - March 2026

For decades, successive Mexican presidents have worked to maintain the country’s historic ties with Cuba while also keeping on the good side of Washington. This dichotomy has perhaps never been as difficult to maintain as now. With US President Donald Trump having ramped up the pressure on Cuba’s Partido Comunista de Cuba (PCC) government, President Claudia Sheinbaum sees herself in the precarious position of wanting to appease the pro-Cuban base of her ruling Movimiento Regeneración Nacional (Morena) and help Cuba when it needs it most, while maintaining a good relationship with the Trump administration, especially given the upcoming renegotiation of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Having received plaudits for her careful balancing of Trump’s demands and Mexico’s interests so far, Sheinbaum is facing her greatest challenge yet.