The Economic, Social And Military Facets Of Cuba

Cuba “held an economical potential that attracted American business interests and a strategic significance for any Central American canal” (Goldfield, Abbott and Anderson, p 638). Cuban rebellion “erupted again in 1895 in a classic guerrilla war… [and] American economic interests were seriously affected” (book pg638). The Spaniards started confining the locals to concentration camps “where tens of thousands died of starvation and disease” (book pg 638). This gained a lot of publicity throughout America as journalist’s were reporting the harsh treatment, which helped persuade our nation to intervene. Furthermore, this led to growing tension between Spain and

In 1959, Cubareceived 74 percent of its imports from the US, and the US received 65 percentof Cuba’s exports. On February 3, 1962, the United States imposed a fulltrade embargo on Cuba, completely ending any type of trade between the twocountries. This embargo remains in effect today, more than four decades later,and has grown ! to be a huge center of debate and controversy (DeVarona 8).Opponents to the embargo argue that the embargo does nothing more than hurt theCuban people, while proponents argue that the embargo places pressure on Castroto repair Cuba’s mismanaged and corrupt government. Both the supportersand the opponents of this embargo have strong arguments and evidence to supportthese

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.

Cuba was one of the territories that United States imperialized. The US was a heavy consumer of the sugar produced in Cuba but didn’t meet the sugar industry demands. The international market collapsed, and the US used this opportunity to purchase the sugar mills in Cuba “Cuban sugar mills into bankruptcy … sensing an opportunity, investors from the United States

For three years, Cuba had been struggling to drive away Spain for independence. At first, the government did not want military intervention in Cuba for the reason that American merchants did not need colonies since they could have unrestricted access to markets anyways. The idea of just letting people in became dominant in American foreign policy because it was an easier method to imperialism so they could manipulate to authority. A lot of the support was based on the thought of the Americans in 1776; they were fighting for their own freedom.

The United States embargo of Cuba has its roots planted in 1960, 53 years ago, when “the United States Congress authorized President Eisenhower to cut off the yearly quota of sugar to be imported from Cuba under the Sugar act of 1948… by 95 percent” (Hass 1998, 37). This was done in response to a growing

One of the most controversial and widely debatable issues that have been discussed extensively in international legislation for several decades is the Helms-Burton Act. The main controversy surrounding the Helms-Burton Act is the resistance from the Cuban government regarding the features of the legislation. The resistance is a clear demonstration of the legality of property claims despite of the passage of time. Throughout history, rarely has an initiative by the American government to enforce its political opinion on economies of other countries generated much anger like the 1996 Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity or Helms-Burton Act. Even though President Clinton initially opposed the legislation, it was enacted after the downing of two planes by Cuban Air Force that were flown by members of an anti-Castro organization in America. The enactment of this legislation resulted in the America's Cuban Conundrum whose main issues are addressed in this article.

When Fidel Castro took over Cuba by means of a revolution, he quickly established his government as the first openly Communist government in the western hemisphere. He petitioned the Soviet Union for aid, which was cheerfully given him. These events went against our current policies, as well as the Monroe Doctrine, which established us as the police force of the western hemisphere. Ninety miles away from the greatest bastion of Capitalism was now residing its greatest foe. This tense situation was brought to a boiling point by the arrival of

In 1959, Fidel Castro came into power by overthrowing Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista and from that moment on the United States was very skeptical about him. They felt this way because they were very much aware of Castro's relationship with the leader

Castro strongly disagreed with Batista’s changed to Cuba’s government as ruler. He thought that Batista was allowing the United States to exploit Cuba. The goal of the Cuban Revolution was for Cubans to “overthrow” the U.S. control in Cuba and be able to form “truly independent states” (Westad 170). Castro clearly didn’t have a good relationship with the United States like Batista did. He was opposed to what the United States and Batista wanted to achieve for Cuba.

No country can escape the knocking of globalization, especially a small island nation that just recently opened the door to invite back in the world’s sole surviving superpower. The recent revival of United States-Cuba relations has put Cuba in a precarious situation, whereby the next few years will be extremely crucial in defining their new place in the global world system. However, with the implementation of much-needed economic reforms, advancement strategies, and the normalization of US-Cuba diplomatic ties, Cuba has the potential to thrive .

     It was after Castro took power that the United States changed its way in which it dealt with Cuba dramatically. The United States decided it would

In January 1959, the brutal, American-backed Cuban dictator, Batista was overthrown by Fidel Castro and his guerrilla army. Initially president Eisenhower welcomed the revolution as Batista was seen to be a weak and embarrassing ally, as well as the fact that a more politically stable Cuba would become a more reliable Cuba.

The idea persists throughout the policy community that what Washington really despises about modern day Cuba is not communism, it is Fidel Castro (Leogrande 216). The man who is the symbol of sanctions against Cuba is also the primary cause for the continuance of sanctions against the island nation. Many believe that recent efforts to tighten economic sanctions against the Cuban government, such as the Helms-Burton laws, only make more powerful the symbols of Castro and strengthen his and his supporters’ resolve to resist change. A prominent Castro critic, former Costa Rican President Oscar Arias remarked about Helms-Burton, ‘[Measures] that tend to impose more sacrifices on the Cuban people are arguments one gives Fidel Castro to continue living in the Cold War’ (qtd. in Zimbalist 162). Indeed Castro seems to publicize through his clothes, that even though the Soviet Union is no more, the Cold War continues to endure in the warm waters off South Florida.

In 1940 to 1944, communist Fulgencio Batista withheld power as the president of Cuba and then from 1952 to 1959, United States backed dictator until fleeing Cuba because of Fidel Castro’s 26th of July Movement. Socialist Fidel Castro governed the Republic of Cuba as Prime Minister from 1959 to 1976 and then as President from 1976 to 2008. Fidel Castro’s intent was to provide Cuba with an honest democratic government by diminishing the corrupt way in which the country was run, the large role the United States played in the running of Cuba as well as the poor treatment & the living conditions of the lower class.