I'm John Batchelor. This is the New World Report with Professor Evan Ellis of the U.S. Army War

College. We go immediately to the story that has develed and challenged the United States

and all presidents since the middle of the 20th century and before. Cuba. Professor Evan Ellis is

at the U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute.

Evan, a very good day to you.

There are bigger stories, bigger nations, but none with the backstory of Cuba.

Impossible to summarize.

However, recently, there has been suggestion that Cuba was ready to bend or negotiate in some fashion because of the mismanagement of the

economy, because they're out of oil, it's unclear what the negotiation looks like.

Recently, however, I mean, within the last days, there have been headlines suggesting

their conversations going on between the U.S. State Department and whatever calls itself

leadership in Havana.

Is that accurate?

And where are they going with these conversations?

Good day to you.

Day to you, John.

Well, of course, the key development in the past day or so is that the head of the CIA,

John Ratcliffe, is officially down in Cuba,

visiting his counterpart there in the Interior Ministry, Lizar Alvarez, and presumably having

discussions with others, including the grandson of Raulito, Rodriguez, Castro.

So as you alluded to, Cuba finds itself under probably the biggest pressure that it's

ever faced since the revolution, arguably bigger than even during the so-called special period

...