If Trump targets Cuba after Iran, it will be fatal for Maga

Military action against the Caribbean nation would destroy the president's anti-migrant voter base

- Paulina Velasco

As Iran burns beneath the US's overwhelming airpower, Washington is already priming for its next target: Cuba.

This time, only 90 miles of water separates brinkmanship from American soil. It may sound improbable, but it is the logical end result of mounting pressure on Havana. While Washington tightens sanctions and orchestrates blackouts, Marco Rubio is reportedly exploring a post-Castro settlement. The intent is unmistakeable. Donald Trump wants an endgame, not detente. Senator Lindsey Graham has said it plainly: after Iran, Cuba is next. And when talks fail, Trump's instinct is to use force as Venezuela and Iran know too well.

Some will say good riddance. The Castros crushed a nation. As a Latina activist, I want Cuba to be free, but I will not cheer another reckless regime-change experiment. Washington has tried to topple Havana since before most Americans were born. The record of failed plots is long. Why assume a decapitation strike will achieve what Cold War intrigue could not?

Even if it worked, bombs cannot conjure a democracy. The US has spent billions and lost American lives to its ongoing campaigns, yet the regimes we sought to humble endure. Caracas survives. Tehran defies. Cuba will prove no different.

The greater danger, though, is geography. For a White House that invokes “America First”, opening a new front line three hours from Florida would be an extraordinary gamble. Cuba’s military capabilities are limited, yet proximity gives even short-range systems weight.