Cuba and the United States

Cuba and the United States

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 its very basis is anti-democratic. The United States never has supported the right of the Cuban people to govern themselves and now it has adopted a position of attempting to force on Cuba the political ideals it deems safe. This examination hopes to explain the background of that relationship and the state in which it now exists. Foreign policy in Cuba is fascinating in that it is a story unlike any other in U.S. history. The ability of one small island to dominate the foreign policy concerns of a world power is certainly an subject for inquiry.

Obsession with the island of Cuba itself is nothing new in the United States. For the last thirty years, the small island just 92 miles off the coast of Florida, has shaped American foreign policy. Cuba's geographical location and political structure place it at odds with the United States on all fronts. The close proximity of Cuba to the United States coast places it in the limelight of national security concerns. The map provides a clear ...

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