Rolling back his predecessor’s accomplishments is an obsession of President Trump’s. Nowhere is that clearer than in his handling of Cuba. Trump is reigniting the hostility between the two countries, limiting U.S. tourism to Cuba, cutting back on U.S. remittances to family members in Cuba, reducing embassy personnel in Havana and, last month, kicking out two of Cuba’s diplomats to the United Nations.
But if Trump’s goal is hurting the Cuban government, his actions are deeply counterproductive. They’ve damaged Cuba’s nascent private sector and overall economy and served as a boon to the Cuban government by restoring a hostility that has long been politically useful for Cuban leaders. Read more…