The July 20th, 2015 CNN headline was simple: “U.S., Cuba re-establish diplomatic relations”. It was what the international community had waited more than fifty years for. In a metaphoric “thawing” of relations stemming from a very “Cold” War, Cuba was ushered into the 21st century. Progress could even be seen in Granma, the Cuban state newspaper. It quoted Cuban President Raul Castro: “We must learn the art of coexisting with our differences in a civilized manner”. This was a very clear step in the right direction. Politics can be defined as the process through which actors use means to interact with each other to gain favorable outcomes for their values and interests. By looking at the normalization of relations between Cuba and America through
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That legacy has been debased by a relic from another era, who has turned a beautiful island into a prison. In a career of oppression, Mr Castro has imported nuclear-armed ballistic missiles, and he has exported his military forces to encourage civil war abroad. He is a dictator who jails and tortures and exiles his political opponents. We know this. The Cuban people know this. And the world knows this.” ("George Bush 's Speech on Cuba")
Bush went on to outline his plan for Cuban relations. In short, he planned to keep the embargo and other restrictive policies that isolated Cuba from America until Cuba made changes. While Bush’s goal and interest was to help the citizens of Cuba, his means were to choke them with sanctions to force change. (“Embargo Remains Until Cuba Alters Policy, Bush Says”) While little defense can be made for the atrocities that President Fidel Castro was responsible for, focusing on the past and forcing change was no way to warm the icy relationship between the two …show more content…
He didn’t want Cuba to appear weak or compromised. As a result, there was never even a conversation. However, when his brother Raul Castro became president, talks began. In September 1998, five Cuban intelligence officers were arrested and later convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage, conspiracy to commit murder, acting as an agent of a foreign government, and other crimes in the United States. The Cuban Five, as they were later known, were the subject of a controversial case. While Cuba called them “political prisoners” and portrayed them as heroes, America called them “criminals”. In 2014, Julia Sweig, director of Latin America studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, spoke to Slate about the near future of Cuba. She said that with Raul Castro’s plans to step down in 2018, Cuba won’t be led by a Castro brother for the first time since 1959, causing a difficult transition for Cuba’s government. In an effort to stabilize the economy so the transition would be smoother, Cuba took small steps towards reform, including the loosening of restrictions on private property and independent businesses. However, those reforms weren’t enough. The new policies had only resulted in a GDP growth of 1.4%. According to Sweig, more significant changes “needed to be implemented, and fast” so Cuba could manage the transition. ("Cuba Embargo: Obama’s Motives Are Clear, but Why Does Raul Castro Want to
That legacy has been debased by a relic from another era, who has turned a beautiful island into a prison. In a career of oppression, Mr Castro has imported nuclear-armed ballistic missiles, and he has exported his military forces to encourage civil war abroad. He is a dictator who jails and tortures and exiles his political opponents. We know this. The Cuban people know this. And the world knows this.” ("George Bush 's Speech on Cuba")
Bush went on to outline his plan for Cuban relations. In short, he planned to keep the embargo and other restrictive policies that isolated Cuba from America until Cuba made changes. While Bush’s goal and interest was to help the citizens of Cuba, his means were to choke them with sanctions to force change. (“Embargo Remains Until Cuba Alters Policy, Bush Says”) While little defense can be made for the atrocities that President Fidel Castro was responsible for, focusing on the past and forcing change was no way to warm the icy relationship between the two …show more content…
He didn’t want Cuba to appear weak or compromised. As a result, there was never even a conversation. However, when his brother Raul Castro became president, talks began. In September 1998, five Cuban intelligence officers were arrested and later convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage, conspiracy to commit murder, acting as an agent of a foreign government, and other crimes in the United States. The Cuban Five, as they were later known, were the subject of a controversial case. While Cuba called them “political prisoners” and portrayed them as heroes, America called them “criminals”. In 2014, Julia Sweig, director of Latin America studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, spoke to Slate about the near future of Cuba. She said that with Raul Castro’s plans to step down in 2018, Cuba won’t be led by a Castro brother for the first time since 1959, causing a difficult transition for Cuba’s government. In an effort to stabilize the economy so the transition would be smoother, Cuba took small steps towards reform, including the loosening of restrictions on private property and independent businesses. However, those reforms weren’t enough. The new policies had only resulted in a GDP growth of 1.4%. According to Sweig, more significant changes “needed to be implemented, and fast” so Cuba could manage the transition. ("Cuba Embargo: Obama’s Motives Are Clear, but Why Does Raul Castro Want to