Trump’s latest warning to Cuba revives a long history of US hostility towards the island. From the Batista era to today’s economic pressure, the question is how far Washington might go in seeking political change.

At the UN General Assembly on 22 September, US President Donald Trump repeated a threat he has made several times before: that Cuba, a “failed state”, will soon be released from communism. “Freedom,” he said, “will come.” Ominous words, greeted by a walkout by the Cuban delegation, and silence from the rest of the Assembly. Trump shocked the Assembly even more with a threat to “annihilate” Iran.

Among US leaders, Trump’s hostility towards Cuba is not unique. After Fidel Castro ousted Fulgencio Batista in a coup on 1 January 1959, Nixon had talked about “bringing Cuba to its knees”; Kennedy had called it a “Communist satellite” and permitted an invasion by Cuban exiles at the Bay of Pigs in April 1961. These, however, were mainly pre-election rhetorical flourishes – in office, neither Nixon nor Kennedy had the determination to launch a genuine invasion or overturn the Castro regime.

Trump’s threat is different. He has form in flouting international law and disregarding the sovereignty of other countries such as Greenland, Canada and Venezuela. While his arrogance and contempt for international law are elements of his Make America Great Again (MAGA) agenda, Trump’s indignation about Cuba is based either on ignorance of America’s exploitation of Cuba during Batista’s regime, or tacit approval of it. I suspect the latter. Whatever the case, his threats to invade Cuba are appalling and dangerous.

Some relevant history. Batista was president of Cuba in his first term from 1940 to 1944. He showed a........

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