Are the Trump administration's new stricter rules on travel and trade with Cuba a return to the past? The Cold War days? Likely. Is that a shame? Well, yes and no.

The new regulations announced last week cancel any direct U.S. financial transactions with 180 entities tied to the Cuban military and intelligence and security services. We can't argue with the soundness of that move. It's possible this correction of the flow of money from the U.S. to the Castro regime was needed.

Let's be clear. In Cuba, for the most part, the government owns everything. Money goes into its pockets — not the people's. It's naive to think otherwise.

No doubt, reasons for the tightening of rules include Trump's willingness to undermine one of Obama's crowning accomplishments — the easing of relations with Cuba frozen for more than 50 years. That's obvious. But another reason is this:  Is it possible that in the Obama administration's rush to "get this done" before Obama's presidency ended, certain things were let go — for now, hoping they would work themselves out with the Cuban government?

FROM AN EDITORIAL IN THE MIAMI HERALD