The US arrest of Raúl Castro does not bode well for Cuba

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How to explain the Trump administration’s decision, enacted yesterday, to charge former Cuban president Raúl Castro with murder for a 1996 attack by Cuban jets on two private US aircraft? As the unblinking enforcement of US law to send the message that the Department of Justice never forgets? As the next step in a pressure campaign which has already brought Cuba’s industry and transport to a standstill? As evidence that Trump seeks distraction from the stalemate he’s delivered in the Strait of Hormuz? The first is the DoJ line. The second and third are more plausible. If the next step is for Castro to be extracted by force like another Nicolás Maduro it might be worth bearing in mind that Trump’s 80th birthday is on 14 June.