Mexico’s Cuba Obsession Puts Its President in a Bind With Trump

Claudia Sheinbaum’s decision to halt oil shipments to Cuba is testing her standing within Mexico’s ruling party just over a year into her presidency, even as it staves off confrontation with Donald Trump.

Mexico’s political left has seen Cuba as a source of inspiration ever since Fidel Castro and Che Guevara hatched the 1959 revolution in the nation’s capital. A trip to the island, not far from the Yucatan Peninsula, has since been a rite of passage for thousands of young Mexicans seeking to strengthen their ideological credentials.

The relationship between Cuba and Mexico, however, goes beyond youthful ...