This report, titled Cuba and the Authoritarian Nexus: Internal Repression, External Aggression, and Illiberal Partnerships, challenges the narrative promoted by the Cuban government and its allies that Havana’s alignment with other authoritarian regimes is driven solely by economic necessity. Over the past six decades, Cuba’s partnerships with Russia, China, and Venezuela have extended far beyond trade. They have involved the exchange of repressive practices and cooperation in strategic, military, and intelligence domains. These alliances strengthen the regime’s capacity to modernize repression, suppress dissent, and coordinate with fellow autocracies in confronting the United States and other democratic actors.

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