Globalization: Slower is Better

Secondly, Cubaneeds to repair its corrupt, failing state-run economy. The reality of thisstruggling economy is that Cuba’s resources are plenty, and its

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.

To begin, it is important to know about the history of Cuba to fully comprehend how things came to be as they are today. Since the Conquest and Colonization Era (1492-1898), many of the prominent European countries and the powerful neighbor to the north of Cuba, the United States of America, have attempted to take control of the land. It first began with the Spanish conquistadors, specifically Diego Velázquez, who was the first to explore and settle the land. Up until the end of the 19th century, the Spanish monarch was the authoritative figure overseeing the land and

Current events in Cuba have caught a lot of attention, as we witness a historical shift in

Cuba’s regime eulogizes Communism in the morning, then applauds its successful trade deals on the nightly news. For over two decades the island has struggled with a disjointed identity. They are constantly building hotels yet ignorant to the mounting adversities faced by an increasing number of tourists.

Raul Castro has gradually implanted major economic reforms and lifted travel restrictions, which will help the country strengthen its international position. Because of Raul making huge changes for Cuba, the island has let in allowing Cubans to buy or sell property, expand consumer goods such as, DVD players, microwaves, cell phones and internet service. These small but large changes for Cuba, that Raul changed, is making a huge impact on the isolated island. Now, because of Raul’s changes, the U.S. talks with Cuban officials every 6 months to see how everything is playing out (Frank).

Cuba had to evolve their economy because the Soviet Union had been such a huge part of it that when it was demolished, they were left with practically nothing. Cuba lost a third of its imports in a period of four years, as well as three-quarters of their trade, sending their economy into extreme crisis. Since Cuba’s leader, Fidel Castro, was not well liked around the world they had very few options in terms of foreign relations. Castro was a force to be reckoned with, the Soviet Union could not control him, and he often denied Soviet ideas. In the end, the soviet union sometimes felt that Castro was the one leading them. The relationship that Cuba had with Russia was imperative to their success because they had the upper hand. Since Castro had become isolated in relations with the western hemisphere he joined forces with Russia and the soviet union as they provided help in the military and economy. Now with the USSR gone, Cuba was left isolated and in need of desperate help. The Cuban people recognized their situation and began to value their currency more. Children growing up during the time of economic reform had learned to practice their own methods by renting their toys and videos to

As democracy is in play, the public has all the power and can move to continue with a certain form of representation or to change to something else. The public also has also been determined to hold the power in influencing policies in the sense that they choose which leaders to elect given the mandates they will claim to fulfill. Representation is an important issue as it influences how a country will achieve its objectives and how the leaders chosen will go about

1) The creation of a responsible and unified Cuban opposition to the Castro regime located outside of Cuba,

In the beginning of the article, he argues that normalizing diplomatic would be “inconceivable” due to the State Department’s declaration of Cuba as a “state sponsor of terrorism.” It is also stated that there is bipartisan support, which includes Cuban-American leaders, against the Castro command. Finally, Cuba frequently undercuts important United States interests; one example is the country’s “ally” status with countries like Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria,

A general policy is established for the United States towards a democratically elected government and a transition government in Cuba in Title II. The President must develop a plan that provides economic assistance to Cuba when the government described in Title I is established. The President is also authorized to take steps that will suspend the U.S. economic embargo against Cuba and terminate that embargo when a democratically elected government is installed.

Cuba at one point was a country in desperate need for help. The lack of economic resources lead the country to be known for Narcotics and brutal violence. Cuba trying to find itself among surrounding countries had hardships to what they are now. The Cuban revolution was one of the main breaking points of Cuba trying to identify themselves. Even though it took over fifty years for them to comply with the US. Cuba and its people went through a lot of violence in their country along with drugs and drug lords. The Revolution changed the status between Cuba and America to a point that America was in fear if a move was made to help. Allies with the United States at the time would cause war. Although a lot of violence and destruction happened in

One of the things the government wants to do is get the country out of debt. Cuba is currently estimated to have a national debt of over thirty billion dollars. A lot of that money is owed to Russia, who took over the debt from the former Soviet Union. The Soviet Union had been funding Fidel Castro in support of Cuba’s Communist Party. The Soviet Union not only provided Cuba with loans but also traded crude oil in exchange for Cuban sugar. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Fidel Castro sought out new lenders instead of fixing their own broken economic system which had led them to borrowing in the first place. Cuba now also owes a significant amount of money to both Venezuela and China.

The country of Cuba is a nation that has gone through a great amount of change throughout its history, especially during the period of the early 1960s up through the late 1970s. However, the element of Cuba that has gone through the most change was its politics and international relations. Cuba’s politics and international relations with North America, South America, Europe and Africa have been key factors and the reasons why Cuba's economy, society and culture are shaped the way they are now.

“Right now the government owns a controlling stake in all major Cuban companies; it could shift from that to something like sovereign wealth funds that own a piece of all major enterprises — with limited corporate voting rights or none and use the revenue to fund the government budget. And it should reform its monetary system, so it can use its control of its currency to properly backstop its spending. In short, the Cuban government doesn't need to throw open its borders and allow international corporations to come pouring into the breach. It does need to free the economic potential of its own citizens from the bottom up. Lastly, it also needs to normalize relations with US and improve human rights”.