On North Korea:
China does have a moderate amount of sway with DPRK, if one can say that about ANY country. I think the consensus is that it's not a matter of IF the current form of government in DPRK will fail, it's a matter of WHEN. Rampant famine and massive shortages of just about every type remain a staple of economic situation there; unfortunately so does a rabid faith in Kim Chong-il, a nutcase if there ever was one...
I see Iran being a bigger issue, though. The pressures and situations that each are in are totally different, though they both tend to get lumped on the same "sh!t list" that Western powers keep.h
On Cuba:
Let's face it. As long as Castro is still alive, there simply is no real hope of dropping sanctions.
Futhermore, Cuba isn't financing US debt, proving massive exports and potentially huge import opportunities for stateside businesses, offering sustainable double-digit growth in just about every economic sector, somewhat tinkering around with a free enterprise economy, and in terms of being a world power, Cuba is pretty damn close to being on the bottom of the list (all totally unlike China).
Finally, Cuban cigars are a joke unless you age them at least a year or two; Cuba has figured out that the faster they turn their crops over, the more money they make. Cigar quality has suffered from this practice to the point that good Dominican and Honduran leaf (most of which are from Cuban seed anyway) are totally comparable...
...though I totally concede the point that I've never encountered a quality cigar that's been made in China.
