Opinion: As Trump eyes Cuba, my trips there a decade ago remind me how different things were

The White House has choked off Cuba's oil supply and threatened a " friendly takeover " of the communist-run island, against a backdrop of military operations in Venezuela and Iran. U.S. President Donald Trump is implying the country is his next target , saying: "Whether I free it, take it, I think I can do anything I want with it. They're a very weakened nation right now." The oil shortage is bringing Cuba's economy to the brink. But I've found myself thinking back when, not that long ago, it briefly looked like the two nations would normalize relations after decades of hostility. I first landed in Havana in March 2012 to cover Pope Benedict XVI's visit. The airport was small. I had to repeatedly explain to immigration officials that we were there as journalists, that we had permission, and that everything had been cleared in advance. I was grateful that my team spoke Spanish to help with the process. Parts of the city felt strangely familiar from images I'd seen of faded pastel buildings and old American cars somehow still running on patched-together parts. Cuba and the U.S. had been geopolitical foes for more than 50 years. Cuba became communist when the 1959 revolution brought Fidel Castro to power and the island nation, just 90 miles from Florida, strengthened its ties with the Soviet Union. The Cuban government seized U.S. property and American-owned businesses in response to a growing U.S embargo. In response, President John F. Kennedy formalized a full embargo in 1962. Supplies of food, fuel, and consumer goods quickly became scarce. But being there, I sensed that something was beginning to shift. CNBC's Justin Solomon, fielding producing in Cuba, with correspondent Michelle Caruso-Cabrera CNBC Between 2012 and 2016, I made 10 trips, field producing for CNBC with international correspondent Michelle Caruso-Cabrera. Almost every visit seemed to line up with something significant — moments that felt like they might mark a turning point. But by the end, that mo...