Learn

Short explainers you can read on your phone in under five minutes. Every claim links to its source, and every article shows the strongest case against it.

• Cuba's 2026 crisis and the US measures

  In 2026 the US took steps to stop oil reaching Cuba and tightened sanctions. Blackouts and shortages grew. Cuba and the US blame different causes.

  3 minute read. Reviewed 29 October 2026.

• How the embargo affects SA

  US rules can reach banks and firms outside the US. South Africa's government has raised this. We found no named South African bank or firm penalised.

  3 minute read. Reviewed 29 October 2026.

• South Africa and Cuba in 60 seconds

  Cuban troops in Angola, Cuban doctors and engineers in South Africa, and South Africa's call to end the US embargo of Cuba.

  1 minute read. Reviewed 29 October 2026.

• South Africa and Cuba

  Cuban troops fought in Angola in 1987 and 1988. Since 1996 Cuba has trained South African doctors and sent doctors and engineers.

  4 minute read. Reviewed 29 October 2026.

• The debate over the US embargo of Cuba

  The US government and the UN General Assembly disagree about the embargo of Cuba, its aims, its effects and its name.

  4 minute read. Reviewed 29 October 2026.

• The US laws behind the Cuba blockade

  The US blockade of Cuba comes from many US laws, orders and Treasury rules made between 1961 and 2026. Some need Congress to change, others do not.

  4 minute read. Reviewed 29 October 2026.

• How the UN votes on the embargo

  Every year the UN votes on ending the US embargo of Cuba. In October 2026, 130 countries said yes. South Africa has voted yes.

  3 minute read. Reviewed 29 October 2026.

• What the US blockade of Cuba is

  The US blockade of Cuba is a set of US laws and rules that limit trade, travel and money. Cuba, the UN and the US use different names for it.

  4 minute read. Reviewed 29 October 2026.

Unfamiliar words are explained in the glossary. The full list of sources is on the sources page.