Trump Snubs State, Will Partially Reverse Obama's Cuba Policy

President Donald Trump is expected to announce a new Cuba policy during his visit to Miami on Friday, rolling back much of his predecessor’s progress toward rapprochement with Havana, despite an interagency review that recommended keeping the current approach in place.

Senior officials insist the policy will only target the repressive Cuban regime and not Cuban citizens themselves, but critics say it will have a blowback effect on the entire island, threatening to scuttle nascent commercial ties and business ventures on the island under communist rule for nearly 60 years.

The new policy, expected to be announced during Trump’s speech in Miami, “does not target the people, but it does target the oppressive members of the Cuban military government,” said a senior White House official. It will offer a path forward for the easing of restrictions and sanctions if Cuban ruler Raúl Castro makes democratic and human rights reforms...

“Rolling back the policy of engagement will hurt the very people it aims to support,” said Alana Tummino of the Americas Society and Council of the Americas. “These personal, cultural, and commercial relationships 90 miles off our shore are our best bet for creating a more open society"...

Read the full article here.