Many people think of and remember Cuba as an island filled with picturesque tourist beaches, Che Guevara memorabilia, and quaint fifties cars; but it is much more than that. Ask any one of the countries that engage in foreign relations with Cuba and one would hear positive remarks regarding the systems of Cuban Medical Diplomacy, Yo Si Puedo literacy training, and other aspects of what Joseph Nye calls ‘Soft Power’ (Dominguez 2008). Nye defines ‘Soft Power’ as the promotion of the attractive qualities of a country; their way of life, their social supports and cultural institutions, his definition uses the example of the United States however one could argue that Cuba is perhaps one of the best examples of successful ‘soft power’ (Dominguez 2008). The Cuban brand of ‘Soft Power’ is built off of a rejection of hegemonic processes of neo-colonialism, and operates under the cover of cooperation and prides itself on its unwillingness to interfere in the inner workings of another sovereign nation (Huish and Blue 2013). At its roots Cuban Foreign policy seeks to earn international influence through productive engagement rather than a show of military force. Even President Obama has acknowledged the success of Cuba’s effective employment of ‘Soft Power’ and suggested that the United States learn from their example at the 2009 Summit of the Americas held in Trinidad:
“Hearing from these leaders who when they spoke about Cuba talked very specifically about the thousands of doctors from Cuba that are dispersed all throughout the region, and upon which many of these countries heavily depend. And it's a reminder for us in the United States that if our only interaction with many of these countries is drug interdiction, if our only interactio...
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...Michael. 2012. “Brain Drain Politics: The Cuban Medical Professional Parole Program.” International Journal of Cuban Studies. 4(3).
Escuela Latino-Americana de Medicina Lecture. May 16, 2014. ELAM, Havana.
Feinsilver, Julie. 2003. “Cuban Medical Diplomacy”. P.p. 590-594 in The Cuba Reader. Edited by A. Chomsky, B. Carr, P. M. Smorkaloloff. Duke University Press.
Huish, Robert and Sarah A. Blue. 2013. “Understanding the Place of Cuban Internationalism.” International Journal of Cuban Studies. 5(1): 6.
Jack, Andrew. 2010. “Cuba’s Medical Diplomacy.” FT.com. May 14, 2010.
Kirk, Andrew. 2009. “Cuban Medical Internationalism and its Role in Cuban Foreign Policy.” Diplomacy and Statecraft. 20(2): 275-290.
Steele, Jen, 2008. “Yo, Si Puedo: South-South Educational Collaboration in Practice.” Society for International Education Journal. 5(1)
LIT CAMPAIGN LECTURE
In 1898, three big events got in the way of any peaceful resolution in Cuba. The New York Journal received a letter from the Spanish minister in Washington, Enrique Dupuy de Lo...
Paterson, Thomas G. Contesting Castro: The United States and the Triumph of the Cuban Revolution. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994. Pp. 352.
The naval blockade of Cuba was retaliation from John F Kennedy finding out about the Soviet Union creating secret nuclear missiles on Cuba. The time is October 22, 1962; the State of Union is not at peace. The United States and Soviet Union are in what is known as The Cold War, which lasted from 1945-91. The war leads to international crisis with alliances, naval battles and the Soviet Union, our biggest threat.
Long before our involvement, the Cubans had been leading revolts and revolutions against Spain. The Spanish empire considered Cuba to be its jewel, not only for its beauty but also for its economics. Cuba’s main source of income was from its expansive sugar plantations that greatly contributed to its wealth (more so to the Spanish Empires wealth). Ironically, even due to the high regard to Cuba, it was neglected and oppressed, as the Spanish Empire began its decline in the middle of the nineteenth century. The Empire was falling due to it slowly loosing its control over its territories, closer to the US then to Spain, because of a lack of industrializing. The Spanish would claim ownership, but never contribute back to their land. This opened the door for what is known as the 10-year war and the struggle for Cuban Independence. The United States never got directly involved, but it sympathized greatly with the Cuban’s cause, for ...
Cuba and the U.S.: The Tangled Relationship. New York: The Foreign Policy Association, 1971. Flaherty, Tom.
The U.S.’s relationship with Cuba has been arduous and stained with mutual suspicion and obstinateness, and the repeated U.S. interventions. The Platt agreement and Castro’s rise to power, served to introduce the years of difficulty to come, while, the embargo the U.S. placed on Cuba, enforced the harsh feelings. The two major events that caused the most problems were the Bays of Pigs and Cuban Missile Crisis.
Reexamined. London: Lynne Rienner, 1998. “Inspector General’s Survey of the Cuban Operation and Associated Documents.”
White, Robert E. 2013. "After Chávez, a Chance to Rethink Relations With Cuba". The New
Clarke, Philip. “Cuba’s Newest Revolution Bloodless but Plenty Bewildering as New President Breaks Army Grip, Aims at Democracy.” The Washington Post. 22 July. 1945: B3. ProQuest. James Madison University library. 16 September 2003
In Cuba many citizens have a strong sense of Nationalism. Jose Marti had a strong impact on Nationalism in Cuban society. He states “If the republic does not open its arms to everyone and move forward the benefit of everyone, the republic will die” (Krauze 17). This statement shows how Marti believed that every Cuban was equal and that no matter of race or ethnicity they are all together in their soon to be republic. This shows how Marti believed that all people of Cuba are together and this strengthens their Nationalism. His push for independence from Spain shows that he believed Cubans were strong enough to become a strong, connected country independent of any outside influence. Marti’s belief that all people living in Cuba are Cubans plays an important role in Cuba’s fight for independents. Weather they are black, Spanish, indigenous or white they are all Cubans and should be free from others control. This idea of Nationalism laid the foundation for what is now modern day
Smith, Wayne S. Portrait of Cuba. First ed. Atlanta Ga: Turner Publishing Inc, 1991. N. pag. Print.
The nation of Cuba has been at odds with the United States since Fidel Castro assumed power in 1959. The United States embargo and sanction on Cuba stems from the fact that the United States will not tolerate Communist governments and "the most important objective of the Cuban government is to remain in power at all costs," says Felix Martin, a professor at Florida’s Cuban Research Institute. The conflict and reason for why the embargo has stayed intact over the years can be summarized in three major points of dissent: Human rights violations, Guantanamo Bay, and the Cuban exile community.
On this day 191 years ago John Quincy Adams expressed his prediction for the future of Cuban-American contact. The Cuban wars of independence were only 15 years away from his prediction when he estimated. These independence wars continue to influence Cuba’s cultural and political attitude toward Europe and the United States; This in part due to the externalities involved in the remodeling of social structure in the aftermath of the revolution. The intentions and motives of each faction: rebels, United States government, Spanish government, United States public, and the Cuban public, varied widely to an extend that caused even more concern in the future. Depending on the point of view of an outsider the situation in Cuba seemed to be a continuation of revolution...
However, the US played a much larger role in Cuba’s past and present than the building of casinos and the introduction of the first taints of corruption. In the past, even before Batista, Americans were resented by Cubans because the Americans made a lot of Cuba’s decisions. Under Batista, 80% of Cuban imports came from the US, and the US controlled at least 50% of sugar, utilities, phones and railroads. If Cuba was a business in the stock markets, then the US would have been close to owning 50% of its shares. When combined with a long history of US-backed leaders, and US involvement, it is understandable that Cubans begrudged the Americans....
The tropical island of Cuba had been an object of empire for the United States. Before the Missile Crisis, the relationship between Castro and the US were strained by the Bay of Pigs occurrence in 1961. This was where counterrevolutionary Cubans were American funded and tried to invade Cuba and overthrow Castro. However, the counterrevolutionaries failed. Castro then found an alliance with the Soviet Union and an increase of distrust that Castro had on the US. On January 18, 1962, the United States’ Operation Mongoose was learned. The objective would be “to help the Cubans overthrow the Communist regime” so that the US could live in peace. Consequently, Castro informed the Soviet Union that they were worried about a direct invasion on Cuba, thus longed for protection against th...