The US-Cuban diplomatic relations of the past 60 years have been extremely tense due to the US government’s embargo imposed on Cuba in 1960th after Fidel Castro became Cuban leader. The growing authority of the communist party in Cuba and the nationalization of foreign companies, including US ones, defined America’s political and economic strategies towards the Cuban regime (Baden 17). The US authorities call the Cuban government to abandon the communist regime in favor of democracy and human rights restoration by imposing an embargo on export to Cuba.
The present paper considers the US economic blockade against Cuba to figure out the current state of things. Apart from that, the paper examines the chances of further blockade-lifting in order to figure out if restoration of diplomatic relations between the US and Cuba is possible. To discover that, the paper analyzes and compares the foreign policy courses led by Barak Obama and Donald Trump and makes a prognosis concerning the course towards Cuba Joe Biden will lead.
Up until 2014, the relations between the US and Cuba were characterized by the term “Cold War,” and there was no sign of thawing in them. The situation changed after Barak Obama visited Cuba and his further intentions of re-establishing relations between the US trade sector and Cuban entrepreneurs (Acosta González 186). Such a change of the strategy was stipulated by the US preoccupation caused by the growing influence of other countries in Latin America and the desire to improve the US image not only in Cuba but in Latin America in general (Acosta González 185). However, despite the emerging improvement in the US-Cuban relation, the embargo was still imposed, and the US intention to overthrow the communist regime remained on the US political agenda.
However, the thaw in US-Cuban relations was not long-lasting. The Trump administration canceled the changes even though the US’s European and Latino American allies backed its lifting of the embargo (Crahan 171). Trump’s administration abolished bilateral agreements signed by the US and Cuba in 2014-2015 concerning multiple areas from law enforcement to agriculture (Campos and Prevost 7). Due to such a decision, the economic situation in Cuba deteriorated dramatically, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic began. The again-imposed US embargo disrupted the ability of the Cuban government to provide its citizens with the necessary medical services and equipment (Campbel 170). The immense influence conservative and anti-Cuban lawmakers had on Trump during his service caused such a change of strategy.
The prospect of further strategy toward US-Cuban relations after Joe Biden’s coming to power is still unclear. Although, during his election campaign, he announced several times that he would return Obama’s policies (Campbell 171). However, further improvement and US-Cuban partnership are possible. Another argument in favor of this position concerns Cuba’s oil prospects. Petroleum cooperation between the US and Cuba may transform the US-Cuban relation from opposition to collaboration and help the US strengthen its image in Latin America in General (Erisman 56). This fact confirms that although the complete lifting of the US embargo against Cuba still seems unlikely, there exists a chance for step-by-step cooperation.
Taking into consideration all the information mentioned above, it is possible to conclude that US-Cuban relations yet remain unstable, as the US lawmakers seem not to have a solid agreement on the point. However, the change is reachable as the US President appears to continue Barak Obama’s policy towards Cuba. There exists one more indicator of further political and economic cooperation, which is the Cuban petroleum, which may prove beneficial for the US economy and establish stable relations between the US and Cuba.
Works Cited
Acosta González, Yoan Karell. The US–Cuba Policy Shift as Viewed by The New York Times: A Critical Analysis from the Island. International Journal of Cuban Studies, vol. 9, no. 2, 2017, pp. 180-195.
Baden, Denise. On Western Bias Against Cuba. International Journal of Cuban Studies, vol. 9, no. 1, 2017, pp. 16-18
Campbell, Al. What’s Next for Cuba? And This Issue’s Contents. International Journal of Cuban Studies, vol. 12, no. 2, 2020, pp. 167-175
Campos, Carlos Olivia and Gary Prevost. The Trump Administration in Latin America: Continuity and Change. International Journal of Cuban Studies, vol. 11, no. 1, 2019, pp. 13-23.
Crahan, Margaret E. The Role of Ideology in the Moulding of US Foreign Policy Towards Cuba. International Journal of Cuban Studies, vol. 10, no. 2, 2018, pp. 157-174
Erisman, H. Michael. Cuba as a Hemispheric Petropower: Prospects and Consequences. International Journal of Cuban Studies, vol. 11, no. 1, 2019, pp. 43-60.