Cuban essayist Emilio Barreto Ramírez recently shared his insights on the Cuban regime's grip over its citizens in an article titled "The Concupiscence of the Misery Makers," published on CubaxCuba. Drawing on the power theory of Bulgarian writer Elias Canetti, Barreto argues that since 1959, the government has maintained absolute control over its people through four main mechanisms: spatial control, temporal control, constant surveillance, and the calculated administration of false hope.
The essay is informed by data from the ninth report on "The State of Social Rights in Cuba," released in August by the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH). Based on 1,318 interviews across Cuba's 15 provinces, the report highlights alarming statistics: 94% of Cubans live below the international poverty line of $1.90 a day, eight out of ten cannot afford three meals daily, and a staggering 95% disapprove of the government led by Miguel Díaz-Canel and Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz.
Barreto asserts that such dire statistics would typically incite political change in any democracy. However, he notes that the Communist Party of Cuba is unlikely to relinquish power voluntarily. He supports this claim by referencing two significant theories.
Philosophical Insights on Power Dynamics
The first theory is by French philosopher Michel Foucault, who conceptualized power as a network embedded within the social fabric, enabling individuals to exercise it. Barreto critiques this view, arguing that it assumes freedoms and institutional order—elements absent in a tightly controlled society like Cuba's, despite the presence of the internet and social media.
The second theory, deemed more applicable by Barreto, is from Nobel Laureate Elias Canetti, articulated in his essay "Crowds and Power" (1960). Canetti uses the cat-and-mouse analogy to explain true power: when a cat captures and immediately kills a mouse, it exercises authority; however, when it allows the mouse to move briefly before recapturing it, it demonstrates ultimate control—merging space, time, surveillance, and hope.
Control and Surveillance in Cuban Society
This metaphor resonates with Cuba's reality post-1959. Barreto writes that "space and time within Cuban society have been under absolute police control," with perpetual surveillance in a society governed by an unyielding ideological doctrine. Hope, he argues, is the regime's most sophisticated tool: at times, it grants an illusion of freedom by slightly expanding the movement space of the populace, a mirage managed to keep the population as subjects rather than active participants in society.
Recent reports underscore this pattern. A Cubalex report noted 1,894 human rights violations—over ten daily—and 766 protests in the first half of 2026 alone. Additionally, a digital surveillance report from January revealed that 98.5% of those surveyed faced reprisals for their online activities, with more than 84% subjected to subsequent physical surveillance.
Barreto concludes that Cuba's communist regime is "all-powerful, infallible, impregnable, and omniscient" by design, a condition that will persist. He emphasizes the importance of recognizing this reality to understand that nothing beneficial can be expected from the regime.
Understanding Cuba's Socio-Political Control
What are the main mechanisms of control in post-1959 Cuba?
The Cuban regime exercises control through spatial and temporal manipulation, constant surveillance, and the calculated administration of false hope.
How do recent reports reflect the regime's control over Cuban society?
Recent data shows widespread human rights violations and protests, along with significant digital and physical surveillance, indicating pervasive control.
Why does Emilio Barreto Ramírez critique Michel Foucault's power theory?
Barreto argues that Foucault's theory assumes freedoms and institutional order, which are absent in Cuba's hermetically sealed society.