Friday is May Day, a traditional communist holiday. (Commies call it International Workers' Day.) It's also the day that President Trump chose to issue an executive order aimed at landing sanctions on some of the more odious regime officials in communist Cuba.
Never let it be said that President Trump doesn't have a flair for irony. You can read President Trump's order here.
Also on Friday, the White House issued a fact sheet explaining some of the details of the order.
Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order imposing new sanctions on the Cuban regime, protecting U.S. national security.
- The Order broadens the existing sanctions on Cuba to include new restrictions under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
- The Order imposes new sanctions on entities, persons, or affiliates that support the Cuban regime’s security apparatus, are complicit in government corruption or serious human rights violations, or are agents, officials, or material supporters of the Cuban government.
- The Order also authorizes new sanctions on covered persons, entities, or financial institutions that have conducted or facilitated transactions with persons or entities sanctioned under the Order.
The fact sheet cites Cuba's "malign influence," and that's not unjustified.
COUNTERING CUBA’S MALIGN INFLUENCE: The President is addressing the national security threats posed by the communist Cuban regime by taking decisive action to hold the Cuban regime, and those that perpetuate it, accountable for its support of hostile actors, terrorism, and regional instability that endanger American security and foreign policy.
The Donroe Doctrine is in action again, it seems.
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Cuba hasn't drawn the attention of the Trump administration that some other nations have, like Venezuela and Iran. Venezuela, now that country, the USA literally transformed overnight by removing the thug-dictator Nicolás Maduro in the middle of the night, flying him and his spouse to the USA to face criminal charges. Iran is taking a little longer, but that conflict is essentially over; Iran has nothing left to fight with. Their military forces are gone, their economy is in a death spiral, and their people are growing angry.
In Cuba, though, there's no need for a military incursion. They've already had their economy crippled by the loss of Venezuelan oil. They don't have the Soviet Union providing aid, both civil and military, anymore; Russia makes noises about supporting Cuba, but Vladimir Putin has his hands full in Ukraine. Cuba is, economically and militarily, running on fumes. They can't last much longer.
Cuba, to employ one of my favorite metaphors, is standing with their toes on the edge of a cliff. All the Cuban regime needs is a push. This presidential action may just give them that push.
Consider the implications of all this. Consider what success would mean, where these three nations are concerned: A reborn Venezuela, with an honestly elected government, sitting on enormous oil reserves, free to trade with the world. A reborn Iran, with a new, genuinely elected government, the mullahs out of power, and the support for terrorist groups gone. And, a reborn Cuba, once more a beautiful, prosperous island vacation destination for the world.
If the Trump administration can pull off all of this, well, President Trump's place in the history books will be secure, and that will drive the American left absolutely bug-nuts crazy - which makes all this even more worthwhile.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.
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