For Donald Trump, Cuba is everything Iran is not
A breakthrough is in his grasp. But his idea of progress may be a throwback to another era
What solace it must be for Donald Trump to contemplate Cuba. Superficially, his dealings with the island nation may appear uncomfortably reminiscent of the mess he has got America into in Iran. As Mr Trump did with Iran, he broke a deal with Cuba in his first term that was reached by his predecessor, Barack Obama, then failed to achieve a better one despite severe sanctions. The communists in Havana, corrupt and cynical though they may be, seem as fanatical as the theocrats in Tehran about their antediluvian ideology. Like the mullahs, the Marxists just don’t appreciate the value of good beach-front property. And, as in Iran, the end-game in Cuba is vague. Who knows what deal might ultimately feel, in the Trump bones, enough like victory?
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