Sitting atop a Havana hotel on New Year’s Eve 1958, Hyman Roth, the fictional gangster featured in “The Godfather Part II” shared his vision for cooperation with the Cuban regime. “Here we are,” Roth beamed, “In partnership with a friendly government. . . . We’re bigger than US Steel.”
That confidence was misplaced.
Within the week, the Cuban government fell, Castro was in Havana, and Roth’s dreams were dashed. Today, his vision for the capital is long gosne and the Castros still reign. Yet in America, the idea of renewed partnership with the Cuban government has captured the imagination of President Obama.
Like Roth, Obama’s dream rests firmly on his confidence in the ability of an unreliable Cuban government to deliver. And like Roth — who ignored the revolution building around him — Obama’s aggressive plans give short shrift to the intense emotions that fuel debate about America’s Cuba policy.
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