During a lively discussion hosted by Tania Costa on CiberCuba, writer and analyst Jorge de Armas delivered a striking statement: "Cuba needs a 15-magnitude earthquake on the Trump scale to finally rid itself of the misery and decay, and to erase from the earth those who currently block necessary change."
This bold declaration came amid a debate sparked by a recent false earthquake alert that caused widespread panic across Cuba. Notifications of an impending quake were sent to Android phones in several provinces, even though the National Seismological Service had not issued any official warning, as per the government’s account.
De Armas employed a geological metaphor to emphasize a deeper issue beyond the technicalities of the alert system: an intractable structural crisis. "The country has reached a stage where even change no longer assures a future. Cuba must be rebuilt from the ground up," he asserted.
De Armas did not stop with metaphors; he pinpointed two major triumphs of totalitarianism over Cuban society: "They excel in manipulating time and diverting narratives."
The second, more catastrophic victory, according to him, is the erosion of civic consciousness. "The most significant damage, which transcends anthropology, is that we don't perceive ourselves as citizens. We are unable to take control because that requires being citizens, and they took that from us. In this regard, they reign supreme," he declared.
Contradictions in Opposition Discourse
This insight aligns with another focal topic of the discussion: the controversy among exile groups following the release of Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, an artist and activist from the San Isidro Movement, who arrived in Miami on July 19, 2026, after spending five years in prison. De Armas was critical of those who attacked Alcántara, referring to them as an "exile mob of cederistas whose only way to be anti-Castro is to be more Castro than Castro."
Continuing on this theme, De Armas warned about the contradictions in some opposition rhetoric: "We claim to fight against Castro, yet our discourse ultimately sustains the dictatorship. It reflects a loss of civic virtue."
The Diplomatic Dimension
Also participating in the discussion were writer Camilo Venegas from the Dominican Republic and analyst Frank Rodríguez from Miami. They discussed the expulsion of nine Cuban diplomats from the Dominican Republic on August 13, linked to alleged efforts to prevent Cuban athletes from defecting during the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo.
One viewer summed up the collective mood with a poignant question: "I see only silence; everything is falling apart like a meringue. Or is it the calm before the storm?" According to Camilo Venegas, it is indeed the calm before the storm.
Understanding the Cuban Crisis and Opposition
What does Jorge de Armas mean by a "15-magnitude earthquake on the Trump scale" for Cuba?
Jorge de Armas uses this metaphor to suggest a drastic and transformative change is needed in Cuba, one that would eradicate the existing misery and obstacles to reform.
Why was there a false earthquake alarm in Cuba?
The false alarm was caused by notifications sent to Android phones across various provinces without an official alert from the National Seismological Service.
What are the two major victories of totalitarianism in Cuba, according to De Armas?
De Armas highlights the regime's success in controlling the narrative and the erosion of civic consciousness among the Cuban people.