The US is the only country in the hemisphere to not have diplomatic ties with Havana, a position many critics consider anachronistic and self-defeating.

Perceiving myself in a blunder, I attempted to correct it.

This could backfire if credit quality slides further, or if the economy strengthens and rates rise.

But experience has shown that to seek to impose them by confrontation is likely to be self-defeating - especially in a country with such a historical vision of itself as China.

As we soon discovered, though, most people can't carry it off.