Ex-CIA Agent Mike Baker on Regime Change in Cuba and Iran Policy

Challenges of Regime Change in Cuba

• 🎯 Mike Baker, a former CIA covert operations officer, discusses the complexities of achieving regime change in Cuba.
• 💡 He notes that while a naval blockade could throttle resources like oil (previously used against Venezuela), Cuba differs significantly from Venezuela.
• 🔑 Cuba lacks a history of democracy and a defined opposition, making it difficult to find a suitable internal figure for transition, unlike the approach taken with Deli Rodriguez in Venezuela.
• ⚠️ Baker suggests that achieving regime change in Cuba will likely prove to be a difficult challenge.

US Policy Towards Iran

• 💬 Baker questions the efficacy of negotiating with the Iranian regime, stating they 'never tell the truth.'
• 🚀 He believes the only path to peace and stability in the region, and a better future for the Iranian people, is the removal of the Mullis and the IRGC.
• 🗣️ The hope is for the Iranian people themselves to enact this change, a long-standing objective that has faced significant obstacles.
• 📈 Baker notes that despite President Trump's statements about help being on the way for protesters, the regime has issued a nationwide shoot-to-kill order.
• 🎯 As a potential option, Baker speculates that the US might target military units responsible for the crackdown, including the army brought in by the Mullis.
• 🌍 He reiterates that peace and stability in the Middle East are unlikely until a change occurs within Iran, ideally driven by its own people.