Essay on Cuba and the United States - 4491 Words

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 1800s. Cuba continues to capture Americas 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 Castros reign in Cuba. The relationship between the United States and Cuba is paradoxical in that†¦show more content†¦This crisis escalated the importance of Cuban policy and created an awareness of its potential threat among the American public. It is not only Cubas strategic location that places it at odds with the United States. Cubas ideological communist base creates even greater distance between the two nations politically. Since its turn to communism in the early 1960s, Cuba has frightened the American public and been at the heart of policy concerns. The defeat of communism during the Cold War, has been an objective with the power override rational and logical policy measures. The threat of communism in Europe drew a response from Americans that led to an era of foreign policy unlike that of any other period. As that same threat spread into their own hemisphere, response to it became even more radical. Cuba became more than a foreign policy concern as the public began to perceive it as a legitimate threat to life and the security of the nation. These fears were proven to be justified in wake of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Since those days of bomb shelters and predictions of nuclear war, Cuba has not been able to s hake its image as a time bomb on the verge of explosion. Cuba has been internalized as an enemy. This has led to a state of emotionalism that overrides objectivity in policy making. The end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union has done little to change American perceptions about the threat ofShow MoreRelatedCuba And The United States864 Words   |  4 PagesCuba and the United States are two very different countries. Although they are only nearly 90 miles away from each other it has been over 50 years since both countries have had any real relationship towards each other, other than the hatred that seems to shown by the two countries’ politicians. In October 1960 the United States began to impose its first round of embargoes towards the small island when Cuba decided to nationalize all of the American Oil on its county after the United States withoutRead MoreThe United States And Cuba1491 Words   |  6 Pages Before the conflict between the United States and Cuba, the two countries were strongly connected in terms of trading, with the US purchasing 87% of Cuba’s exports (CITE). However, once Fidel Castro came to power in Janurary 1959 after successfully overpowering President Batista and established Cuba as a communist state, relations became strained. In the following year, $1.8 billion US assets in Cuba were taken by Castro and the newly Communist state created close ties with the Soviet Union (CITERead MoreCuba And The United States1217 Words   |  5 Pageshe U.S and Cuba officially cut ties in January of 1961, meaning that there have not been any high-level diplomatic relations with Cuba for 54 years. At the time, America and Cuba considered one another as mortal enemies and mistrusted each other’s government greatly. So this raises the question; Was it the correct decision for Cuba and the United States to cut ties? This break with Cuba was a bad decision because it caused Cuba’s economy to plummet, caused Cubans to immigrate, and it caused CubanRead MoreCuba And The United States1610 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction A lot has gone on between the United States and Cuba between 1959 and 2015. In 1959, Cuba and the United States cut off diplomatic ties. On December 17, 2014, the United States and Cuba announced that they would restore diplomatic ties. Diplomatic ties is defined as â€Å"The art or practice of conducting international relations, as in negotiating alliances, treaties, and agreements† by The Free Dictionary. This means that two countries work together and with other countries to talk aboutRead MoreThe United States And Cuba Essay1008 Words   |  5 PagesThe United States and Cuba The United States is the leader of the free world. The United States exercises strength in this role through trade agreements and military strength. Because of this, the foreign policies the United States puts into place greatly affect the economies of other countries. This is especially true of Cuba. The island of Cuba is just over 100 miles south of the Florida border. The United States and Cuba have struggled to find common ground in regards to foreign policy overRead MoreThe United States And Cuba1534 Words   |  7 Pageshostilities, the United States and Cuba have taken significant steps in recent years to dramatically alter their relationship in the years ahead. Those efforts are controversial to a number of Americans who oppose engaging the Cuban government. Prior to the Spanish American War of 1898, Cuba was a Spanish colony with extensive commercial relations with U.S. businesses, particularly with regard to the production of sugar. Following the U.S. victory in the Spanish American War in 1898, Cuba, which is locatedRead MoreCuba And The United States1610 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction A lot has gone on between the United States and Cuba between 1959 and 2015. In 1959, Cuba and the United States cut off diplomatic ties. On December 17, 2014, the United States and Cuba announced that they would restore diplomatic ties. Diplomatic ties is defined as â€Å"The art or practice of conducting international relations, as in negotiating alliances, treaties, and agreements† by The Free Dictionary. This means that two countries work together and with other countries to talk aboutRead MoreCuba And The United States1307 Words   |  6 PagesCuba is a nation that formed from a history of colonial and imperial domination. Formal colonial status under Spain ended during the invasion by the United States in 1898, when military and corporate interests made the island a de facto colony of the United States. However, Cuba and the United States have had a long history of both political and military ties; both good and bad. Nevertheless, these ties have played a vital ro le in the current relationship the United States maintains with CubaRead MoreThe United States Embargo On Cuba2305 Words   |  10 PagesII 21 March 2016 The Extirpation of the United States’ Embargo on Cuba On an island far, far, away, are oppressed, poor, and hopeless people who have been under the subjugate control of a regime of communist dictators for over half a century. A body of people, who for almost 55 years, have been given the cold shoulder by one of the world’s biggest superpower and the only superpower in close proximity to their own island. The U.S. implemented sanctions on Cuba in 1960 and 1961, with President John FRead MoreThe Embargo On Cuba And The United States1781 Words   |  8 PagesIn December 2014, President Obama started restoring diplomatic relations with Cuba. Cuba and the United States have been hostile since the Cuban Revolution of 1959, when Fidel Castro overthrew the US-supportedbacked dictator, Fulgencio Batista, and established a Communist regime. The US rejected Castro’s bid for equal economic partnership because they wanted to maintain economic dominance. As such, Castro began seizing US assets, causing back-and-forth actions that culmi nated in Presidents Eisenhower