An issue I have with playing Cuba is how difficult it is to ally with other nations on that map. It seems like in each game, Cuba is not in a very defendable position. Cuba-Peru is a very difficult sell as Cuba quickly gets in Peru's path of expansion if Cuba chooses to go for Yucatan or Nicaragua.

Cuba-Florida is not viable as it's not clear what advantage Cuba receives from this; while Cuba is able to provide some amount of naval support if Florida is fighting against Texas, it's difficult for Florida to come to Cuba's support against Peru or Mexico.

This only leaves the sole option of allying with Mexico against Peru. However, Cuba will get in Mexico's way if he takes Nicaragua, and may be frequently hunkered down in the north if Texas or California chooses to attack Mexico. Also, Mexico has greater potential to stab Cuba and take Yucatan or Nicaragua.

In conclusion, Cuba has very few viable alliances with any nation in Empire4, and is not as defensible as compared to, say, Turkey in vanilla, as it has too many vulnerable seas where an enemy can easily move into. How do you play as Cuba with this kind of disadvantage?