Cuban-American Relations

The Cuban Revolution was touchy topic for the United States and Cuba. America’s alienation of Cuba didn’t help when communism from the USSR was brewing over the revolution. When the revolution gained Castro as its leader, the worry and hatred from the United States was unbearable, especially when the Soviet Union landed in Cuba to interest Castro in its aid. The US’s fear of communism, Fidel Castro, and aid from the Soviet Union was significant because it changed the US’s political role in Cuba during the Cuban Revolution.

During the Cold War, relations between Cuba and the United States were icy. Cuba was allied with the USSR, America’s enemy, and was well within their sphere of influence. With events like the failed Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis happening on their soil, Cuba was at the center of the Cold War. Between ideological differences and their alliance with Russia, Cuba became an enemy of America as well. It took the efforts of ten American presidents, six Popes, and countless other actors, but Cuba and America are finally in the process of normalizing relations. There is still work to be done, but the path is clear and the time is right. However, one cannot simply ignore the last fifty years. In that time, millions of lives were affected by the lack of social, economic, and political ties between the U.S. and Cuba. In this paper, I will analyze the last fifty years of U.S. - Cuban relations by looking at the involved actors, their means, and their values and interests through the lenses of two paradigms, realism and constructivism.

The new era began, Barack Obama and Raúl Castro announced that the United States of America and Cuba will restore full diplomatic relations for the first time in more than 50 years since severing ties in 1961. Barston 2006, defines diplomatic relations as “the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of states. It usually refers to international diplomacy, the conduct of international relations through the intercession of professional diplomats with regard to issues of peace-making, trade, economics and culture” (p. 1). One of the major areas it will address is the lifting of the Cuban embargo. The embargo restricts trade, travel and communication between the two states which hinders the economic development of Cuba.

The last president to visit the nation of Cuba was President Calvin Coolidge in 1928. Since then there has many problems between the two nations. Fourteen months ago President Barrack Obama announced that there would be an effort in trying to normalize relations with Cuba. “"As the President has

It is well-known that US foreign policy during the Bush years was very assertive in consolidating American hegemony at the world stage. This approach is exemplified in the Bush doctrine, which, according to Charles Krauthammer, was based on unilateralism, the war on terror, the doctrine of pre-emptive war and the American mission to spread democracy throughout the world. Influenced by this context, the US policy towards Cuba during that period was particularly hostile, with the widening and deepening of the policy of pressures. As a matter of fact, during the years of the younger Bush’s administration, US-Cuba relations experienced one of its worst periods. Interestingly, Harper’s Cuba policy during his first three years that coincided with his Republican counterpart (2006-2008) and the beginning of the Obama’s mandate (2009) was characterized by an unusual anti-Cuban rhetoric that seemed

The U.S. policy toward Cuba From 1960 to 2014, placed a harsh embargo on trade and economic assistance to Cuba. Most Americans are unaware, of the full reach of the embargo excluding Cuba from economic, humanitarian and business programs that the U.S. has instituted or participated, to provide economic benefits to the other Caribbean and Latin American nations. Reaching that juncture to lift the embargo requires multiple actions by the Executive and Congress that can be real breakthroughs in some areas. The U.S. embargo will require an investment of administrative time and attention to encourage a major Congressional push for the full repeal of the economic embargo. The administrations need to work with Republican allies in Congress, as

ecently the United States and Cuba have been making news due to a possible reconciling between the two nations. In 2016 President Obama visited the leader of Cuba, Raúl Castro. This was a big deal because he was the first president to visit the country since Calvin Coolidge. Raul Castro took over office following the death of Fidel Castro. Fidel was a strong supporter of the communist party and many of his ideas regarding running Cuba were very radical and not supported by the United States. He was one of the main reasons the United States ended all ties with the country. For many years these two countries have been butting heads and been involved in a power struggle. During Obama's presidency, there was a shift in both the United States

Response to Revolution, by Richard E. Welch Jr., is an honest and unbiased look at America’s policy towards Cuba during the Cuban Revolution. It covers the general history of and preconceived notions about the revolution in depth and gives ample attention to both sides of the relationship between the U.S. and Cuba. In addition to this Welch analyzes the reactions of America’s various factions during the early years of the revolution. Upon taking this into a change of the status quo, and of one that only played the international game of politics on its own terms.

Since 1961, the United States and Cuba have had no relations with one another, and have used Switzerland as a mediator for the two countries to communicate (Suddath, 2009). This is beginning to change; the U.S and Cuba did business and trade together long ago, but when the U.S. found that Cuba allowed the Soviet Union to build missile bases in Cuba, along with other things leading up to this down-fall, all business between the U.S and Cuba came to a halt. On April 13, 2009, President Barak Obama announced that the United States would lift all restrictions and begin to trade and do business with Cuba, again (Suddath, 2009).

No more than 9 hours ago Raul Castro and Barack Obama broke headlines today by agreeing upon a ferry service from Florida to Cuba. This “great step forward”, as some officials title it, is making headlines due to the dynamic history these 2 countries shared. The relationship between these 2 countries is similar to a Hollywood epic; one in which a parent’s child turns against them and takes belonging to they’re known rival. America never truly let their “child” Cuba fly on to their own therefore, Cuba became tempted and allured by everything America didn’t stand for, and eventually abandoned they’re birth parents and got adopted by their enemy Russia. The relationship between the two nations is much more complex than one sentence.

Inconsistency underlies the logic of the United States sanctions against Cuba. The relevance of the pre-1990 objectives of the embargo became obsolete with the end of the cold war. However, the so called “Cuban Democracy Act” came up with a new objective of bringing freedom and democracy to the people of Cuba. The act demands Cuba to establish electoral democracy. Put it in other words, the act asks Cuba to permit the establishment of multi-party system, conduct periodic elections, permit freedom of press, and build democratic institutions which guarantee the protection of the human and democratic rights of the people. These objectives by themselves are noble ideas worth fighting for and promoting all over the world. Yet, the problem with the “Cuban Democracy Act” is it proposes to strengthen the economic sanctions against Cuba to bring about these ends. This requirement levied upon Cuba contradicts the basis of the United States relations with other countries around the world. Countries like China and Saudi Arabia don’t have electoral democracy whatsoever, moreover they are more brutal than the Castro regime in Cuba. However, they enjoy the status of most favored nation in their relation with the United States (Griffin 171). Thus, the question is what is the logical foundation for the

Since 1959, there are an outgoing battle between Cuba and the US and there are many facet to the relationship . It started with the Cold War. The Cold War was an ongoing battle between the USSR and the US . Before anything happen Cuba was leaded by Fidel Castro , a leader who believe in communist. And he changed Cuba through the years when he ruled. The result of the Cold War caused the relationship between America and Cuba to break because of the USSR Vs US , Fidel Castro ,and Nikita Khrushchev . On March 20 , 2016 , Obama stepped foot on Cuba , trying to rebuild the relationship between the US and Cuba

Relations between the United States and Cuba had been declining since Castro seized power in 1959. U.S. officials feared that Castro’s government would lead Cuba into communism and this would start a domino effect in Latin America. In 1960 Castro signed a trade treaty with the Soviet Union. With the Soviets providing the guns, Cuba was able to help other communist regimes in conflict such as the Congo Crisis (1960-1965), Bolivia Insurgency, the Eritrean War, Yom Kippur War, the Ogaden War, Invasion of Grenada, the Salvadoran Civil War, and the Nicaraguan Civil War. In this respect Cuba was proving the U.S’s “Domino Theory” correct.

Cuba’s relationship with the U.S. is not at its desire state. There are three famous incidents that support this statement which are as follows; Fidel Castro’s presidency of Cuba, Guerilla Warfare in Cuba, and the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The island of Cuba has been a focal point of American foreign policy since the acquisition of Florida in the late 1800's. Cuba continues to capture America's attention as it is the only existing communist state in the Western Hemisphere. U.S. policy has attempted to topple the communist regime in Cuba since its outset in 1961. Policies designed to incite revolution, destroy the Cuban economy, and starve the Cuban people seem to be at odds with American ideals of democracy and sovereignty. It is, in fact, the very policies that the United States has implemented that have strengthened and prolonged Fidel Castro's reign in Cuba. The relationship between the United States and Cuba is paradoxical in that