In China, Cuba, Dictatorship Beats Trade

One of the chief arguments in favor of President Obama’s decision to recognize the Communist regime in Cuba more than a half century after the U.S. cut ties with it is that increased contact with Americans eager to do business on the island will eventually lead to more Cuban liberty. This naive assertion was quickly given the lie by Havana as the regime arrested dissidents last week. But we don’t have to wait years to see if a totalitarian regime determined to keep its grip on power can fend off democracy despite the establishment of ties with the U.S. or even robust trade with American companies. The Maoist counterattack against pro-democracy dissenters in China tells us all we need to know about the foolishness of Obama’s faith in engagement with Communism.