Trump lays out Cuba policy, threatens dètente

US President Donald Trump will announce his plans to roll back Obama’s rapprochement with Cuba this Friday in Miami.

In a break with a half-century of Cold War hostility, President Obama eased travel and business restrictions with Cuba and re-established diplomatic ties, becoming the first American leader to visit the island nation since 1928.

Mr Trump will seek a partial rollback of Obama’s policies, limiting trade with businesses associated with the Cuban military—which is involved in large parts of the economy. Trump is also likely to announce restrictions on travel between the two countries, threatening the daily flights between Florida and Havana.

Already under strain from his incendiary comments about immigration, Trump’s actions threaten to further inflame relations with Latin American countries; for decades, US intransigence towards Cuba has been a major sticking point for relations.

As Obama used an executive order to normalise relations between the two countries, Trump can reverse the directive without Congressional approval.