As promised!
This is the blurb I wrote for yesterday's one-hour oral examination. Best topic on Earth. Within 20 minutes, the two profs had veered off towards Soviet sugar subsidies and ethanol production. I passed, but if anyone wants to hear about Cuba's foreign policy, I left the oral exam a little unsatiated, because it's fascinating, a real case of the tail wagging the dog...
“Cuba will never be alone”
In 1959, Cuba rejected not only a brutal dictator, but also American influence, legalized by the Platt Amendment. The USSR rapidly replaced the US as preferred political and economical partner. Following the fall of the Soviet Union, Europe and Canada became Cuba's economic lifeline. From the mid-1990's until a few years ago, Cuba effectively depended on Europe's investors and creditors who were hoping for a regime change that would provide more business opportunities (as they saw occur in their Eastern European neighbors) despite the local denial of political and civil rights. As part of this lifeline, the tourist industry expanded rapidly and European tourists flocked to the newly developed hotel resorts; foreign investors also invested in nickel production on the island and the maintenance and reconstruction of its infrastructure. Cuba also increased its trade and credit line with China. This allowed Cuba to weather the joint hit of the US embargo and the disappearance of the Soviet support during the so-called “special period,” and through the past decade.
Now however, the Cuban strategy is changing, and we are witnessing a “latinamericanization” of Cuba's foreign policy. Increased trade and diplomatic exchanges with Venezuela, and more recently engagement with Brazil as well as diplomatic outreach in the region indicate that Cuba, tired of the EU’s political stance on human rights, is diversifying its economic and diplomatic ties to ensure Cuba's economic survival and support in the region. Indeed, Cuba is never alone, and this recent shift in foreign policy will probably allow the regime to endure, even through the hardships of the current financial crisis and regardless of what will happen to the US embargo.