Cuba and United States Foreign Policy

Introduction 

The Cuba and United States foreign policy has experienced a wide array of challenges through the issues, which have had notable impacts on the relations between these two countries. In 1959, the then Cuban President Fidel Castro plotted a coup that saw the overthrowing of the U.S.-backed Cuban government based in Havana. The ousting of the Cuban government meant that Fidel Castro would then establish a socialist state, which was inclined towards the Soviet Union. The outcome of this is that the relations between the two countries were affected considering that the United States viewed the actions of President Castro as hostility towards the United States. Since that period, the United States government has worked towards putting in place a foreign policy approach that would see Cuba remain isolated from both an economic and diplomatic point of view.

However, in 2008, United States President Barack Obama and the Cuban President Raul Castro, who is the brother to the former president, embarked on a diplomatic process that would see these two countries achieve their expected foreign relations. The focus for having to set up the diplomatic process was to help in restoring the diplomatic ties between the two countries, which had been severed by the actions in 1959. On the other hand, the restoration of the foreign relations meant that both countries would ease travel restrictions for citizens within both countries. The election of President Donald Trump has been noted as having rolled back some of the steps made by his predecessor, which is expected to have significant impacts on both countries' foreign policies. In line with this, this report seeks to engage in an in-depth analysis of the Cuba and United States foreign policy through the years to understand the international relations between these two countries.

Cold War Antagonism 

The tumultuous foreign relations between the United States and Cuba is considered to have begun in the Cold War era and has impacted the ties between these two countries to date. During the Cold War period, Cuban President Fulgencio Batista had established a government backed by the United States and considered as one of the most important allies of the American government. The outcome of this is that the United States government sought to increase trade and diplomatic ties with Cuba, as had been indicated within its foreign policy to Cuba. One essential product that the United States imported from Cuba was sugar with the trade ties allowing for free importation of Cuban sugar into the United States as part of strengthening the relationship between the two countries.

However, this changed significantly in 1959 during which time Fidel Castro and a small group of revolutionaries engaged in a coup that would see them overthrow the U.S.-back Fulgencio Batista government (Serbin, 2016, p.183). On his part, President Castro introduced what would be considered as communist ideologies, which were different when compared to the doctrines held by his predecessor. The change in government structure in Cuba had a significant impact on the Cuba and United States foreign policy taking into account the nature of ideologies that President Castro introduced as part of his leadership. Despite most of these misgiving, the United States government recognized the new Cuban government with the focus being towards ensuring that both countries would maintain the trade and diplomatic ties.

On its part, President Castro’s government increased its trade ties with the Soviet Union as a way of shifting focus towards Europe rather than having to promote the relationship created with the United States. On the other hand, the Cuban government embarked on a process that would see nationalization of all properties owned by the United States government as a way of severing the ties that the country had had with the American government. The move by President Castro to sever a relationship with the American government was viewed as a strategic approach by the Cuban government to focus much of its foreign policy towards Europe. LaFeber, Polenberg, & Woloch (2015, p.24) argue that the decision by Cuba to engage in trade activities with the Soviet Union was strategic for the Cuban government, as it sought to advance its position from a socio-economic perspective.

The ties between Cuba and the United States were affected further by the decision by the Cuban government to increase taxation on imports from the United States while cutting down on taxes for products imported from the Soviet Union. The economic decision by Cuba to increase imposition on imports from the United States resulted in increased hostilities between these two countries from a financial perspective. As part of its response, the United States government imposed stiff economic penalties on Cuba, which resulted in a significant slashing of the sugar imports from Cuba. After a few months, the then United States President John F. Kennedy instituted an overall ban on exports to Cuba as part of the country's retaliation for the harsh economic environment created in Cuba. Ultimately, this contributed to the expansion of the ban towards becoming a full economic embargo, which included the institution of travel restrictions to Cuba.

Mistrust and Nationalism 

After the cold war antagonism, as have been identified in the previous section, it was clear that the United States foreign policy towards Cuba had been severed significantly from both an economic and political perspective. In 1961, the United States government, through the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), embarked on covert operations with the focus being towards toppling the President Castro government. Pumar, Solo-Gabriele, & Treaster (2017, p.185) indicate that the decision by the United States to engage in a covert operation against Cuba reflected more on the fact that the United States government sought to establish a government that would be more friendly towards its foreign policy. However, the invasion, referred to as the Bay of Pigs invasion, only worked towards fueling mistrust and nationalism touching on the fact that indeed the relations between these two countries were affected in a significant manner. The outcome of the invasion is that this only sought to create a higher demand for President Castro to engage with the Soviet Union on different fronts.

One critical area to note is that the mistrust within the Cuban government towards the United States resulted in the installation of nuclear missile sites with the focus being towards protecting the sovereignty of Cuba. The installation of the nuclear missile sites, which was conducted by the Soviet Union, created a major standoff between the American and Soviet Union government. Security analysts argue that the confrontation almost escalated towards becoming a worldwide issue. However, the battle resulted in the removal of the nuclear missile sites but only sought to affect the foreign policy between Cuba and the United States further.

Impacts on the United States and Cuba Relations 

In the following decades, it was clear that the United States foreign policy towards Cuba focused more on promoting economic and diplomatic isolation. The American government viewed its approach towards improving the Cuban segregation as being of great value towards ensuring that other countries would avoid engaging in trade ties with Cuba. However, it is clear that that the previous American administrations viewed Cuba as a critical threat towards the United States. An example between the President Ronald Reagan administration, which sought to label Cuba as a “state sponsor of terrorism” attributed to the fact that the Cuban government supported efforts by leftist militant groups operating in both Central America and Africa (Nuechterlein, 2015, p.82).

Additionally, two American presidents, President George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, put in place legislation that sought to strengthen the sanctions that the United States had placed on Cuba, as well as, work towards eliminating the Castros as a way of ensuring that this would guarantee the lifting of the embargo. President Bush signed into law the Cuba Democracy Act of 1992 while President Clinton signed into law the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act of 1996 both of which sought to place further restrictions on Cuba. The imposing of the limits by the United States government is estimated to have caused the Cuban people an estimated $126 billion considering that the country experienced a significant shift in ties with a majority of the countries around the world (Baylis, Smith, & Owens, 2017, p.370). The outcome of this can be seen from the fact that the Cuban government faced essential challenges in its bid to sourcing for relevant supplies including medical equipment among others.

Reform and Rapprochement 

During the 2008 United States presidential campaigns, one of the hopefuls, Barack Obama, stressed the importance of having to engage with the Cuba government arguing that it was time for the United States to embark on direct diplomacy (Baker, 2014, p.1). Throughout his campaigns, Obama sought to highlight the value that working with the Cuban government would have for both the Cuban and American people. A few weeks after his election, President Obama adopted a policy reform that saw ease in restrictions that were set out concerning aspects such as remittance and travel. The critical element of focus for President Obama was that this would have worked as one of the strategic approaches that would see the two countries build their economic and diplomatic ties that had been affected during the Cold War era.

Over the course of his presidency, President Obama worked on a wide array of policy frameworks that were aimed at loosening the restrictions that the United States government has set out concerning Cuba. President Obama worked on creating a United States foreign policy document on Cuba with the critical element of focus being towards mending the ties between these two countries as a way of building the overall possibilities of enhanced performance. The outcome of this is that the number of people traveling between the two countries for religious and educational purposes increased significantly, as well as, the remittance levels also grew at a significant rate. Schoultz (2014, p.143) indicates that the approach by President Obama sought to reflect more on the idea of having to establish an economic framework that would be beneficial to both countries in the long term.

On its part, the Raul Castro led the Cuban government also showed significant interest towards engaging in reforms with the focus being towards ensuring that it matched the efforts made by the United States government. Cuba was facing a wide array of challenges that affected both the social and economic positioning of the country in one way or another. These issues included an aging population, high levels of foreign debt, and an economic slowdown attributed to the financial crisis that the world was facing between 2007 and 2009 (Coerver et al., 2014, p.53). President Castro sought to embark on the liberalization of the Cuban economy, which was controlled in a significant part by the state. However, it was clear that the decision by the Cuban president stretched beyond the idea that this would seek to define a structured platform from which to ensure that Cuba would achieve diplomacy with the United States.

Through the help from the United States, the Cuban government worked on decentralization of different sectors of the economy including the agriculture sector, as well, paving the way for investment in the business and real estate markets. The United States foreign policy focusing on Cuba meant that the Cuban government was expected to engage in policy reforms that would see the development of an inclusive government. The outcome of this as that the United States government would support all efforts by the Cuban government in its bid towards creating that prospective avenue for socio-economic development. According to Thomas (2018, p.37), the listing of the restrictions by the United States government focusing on the Cuban government provided the country with leeway for enhanced performance outcomes.

Restoration of Full Diplomatic Ties 

In late 2014, Presidents Obama and Castro engaged in bilateral talks organized by the Obama administration with the sole focus being towards discussing the bilateral tensions created between these two countries within the last 50 years. After their engagement, both presidents indicated that their governments were dedicated to restoring full diplomatic ties between the two countries. The talks, which had been brokered by Pope Francis of the Catholic Church, sought to ensure that both countries would benefit from their respective bilateral agreements especially on areas such as trade and diplomacy. On the other hand, the talks also sought to reflect on areas such as prisoner exchange, which was one of the critical adverse effects of the tension created between the two countries. From a diplomatic perspective, both countries were able to build on diplomacy as one of the essential aspects of focus towards developing a progressive avenue for socio-economic development.

In the following months after the talks between the two presidents, President Obama signed a policy framework that saw ease in travel and trade restrictions, which, in turn, meant that traders from these two countries would engage in trading. The outcome of this is that both Cuba and the United States experienced an upsurge in trading activities between the two countries considering that the trade restrictions had been lifted. President Obama also removed Cuba from one of the states around the world that sponsor terrorism, which played a central role towards building on the diplomatic ties. Finally, both governments embarked on processes that would see them open their respective embassies with the focus being towards boosting economic and diplomatic relations between the two countries.

United States President Visit to Cuba and Subsequent Impact on Relations 

As a show of commitment towards the establishment of foreign policy in favor of Cuba, President Obama visited Cuba's capital Havana in early 2016, which was historical considering that it was the first visit from a United States president since Calvin Coolidge in 1928. Diplomatic analysts argue that the visit by President Obama to Cuba sought to reaffirm the fact that the United States was committed to restoring diplomatic ties between the two countries in one way or the other. Additionally, this also sought to endorse Cuba as an economic hub that would see other countries engage in different trade and economic activities with it as part of building that progressive avenue for performance.

As part of his commitment to Cuba, President Obama suggested that the United States would embark on lifting the embargo against Cuba, as well as, would focus on restoring airline services between the two countries. Indeed, United States airlines began commercial operations between the United States and Cuba, which was considered as one of the historic moments for more than 50 years. The change in the Cuba and United States foreign policy can also be seen from the fact that President Obama repealed one of the critical strategies touching on Cuba, the so-called “wet foot, dry foot” policy. The repeal was welcomed by the Cuba government, which considered this as one of the strategic approaches that would help towards boosting diplomacy between these two countries as a way of building an overall performance framework.

Lifting the Embargo 

A lifting of the Cuban Embargo focuses on enhancing working relationships between the government of Cuba and that of the United States. Leaders from both political divides in the United States sought to adopt policies that would see the country lift the embargo placed on Cuba with the focus being towards ensuring that Cuba would restore its human rights positioning. According to Mattes, Leeds, & Carroll (2015, p.286), lifting of the embargo in Cuba plays a critical role in enhancing political and economic reforms, which translate to positive interactions that enhance growth and development. Before lifting the Embargo, the human rights activists in Cuba presented the issue of the embargo as a critical element that requires to be addressed to enhance both economic and political development of the given region. The human rights movements maintained that maintaining the embargo would slow down the rate of economic growth considering that the interactions with countries such as the United States are limited.

The embargo placed against Cuba by the United States created a blockage on commercial, economic, and financial relations between the two countries focusing on aspects such as the sale of arms, travel ban, and shipping of goods and services. The implementation of the prohibition was focused on limiting the interactions that were increasingly creating negative outcomes such as increased insecurities due to factors such as flooding of Cuban citizens in the United States. According to Ripoll (2017, p.46), the Cuban government emptied the prisons and asylums sending the people to the United States, which is an aspect that led to the development of the foreign policy that created the Embargo. Based on the US foreign policy implemented, the government defined strict measures and ultimatums against the Cuban government that required observation to prompt the lifting of the embargo. The implementation of the blockade influenced the political and economic relationships between the given countries considering the trade limitations that reduced the economic development in Cuba.

According to Domínguez (2017, p.63), the argument on the need for the US to amend the foreign policy and lift the Cuban embargo was based on benefits such as free trading and traveling between the two countries. The political parties in the United States disagreed on the issue of encouraging the lifting of the embargo based on the question of the trade embargo, which created significant diplomatic obstacles between the two countries. Majority of the Democrats presented their arguments based on the fact that lifting the ban would help in enhancing liberalization within Cuba and create an environment where the human rights movements are improved. On the other hand, the Republicans argued that lifting the ban would not be appropriate at that time considering that the Cuban government was required to meet the demand and ultimatums to prove that they were ready to engage in trade relations. However, the argument on the issue was solved where the ban was lifted in 2008 by President Obama during his governance.

Public Opinion 

Considering the issue of the US foreign policy on the Cuban embargo created a primary argument between the major political parties in the United States, the problem contributed to a significant split among the citizens based on their individual views concerning the matter. According to LeoGrande (2015, p.478), widespread support called for the normalization of foreign policies affecting the relationships between Cuba and the United States. The opinion of the public was based on the individual perceptions regarding the benefits of lifting the ban and the negative impact of lifting the ban. Majority of the citizens in the United States presented their arguments based on the views of the political parties that they are affiliated to. In this case, a majority of the Democrats supported the act of lifting the ban that was done completed by President Obama while the Republic presented their criticism on the issue as part of disagreeing with the move to raise the Cuban embargo. However, the Cuban citizen supported the move with the hope of economic development through engaging in trade relations.

In a research poll conducted in 2016 on the move by President Obama to lift the Cuban ban, 80% of the Americans affiliated to the Democratic Party of the United States supported the decision by the president attributing to a positive impact in both the short and long term. The main argument presented by the Democrats was based on the enhancement of positive activities such as trade between the two countries to create an avenue for economic development. The supporters of the movement maintained that the strategic decision would help in enhancing the political and financial stability in Cuba through the interactions. Another critical arguments supporting the lifting of the embargo was the fact that Cuba offered tourist attraction site, where the American tourists would flock thus enhancing economic development through tourism. A lifting of the Ban would ensure that the American tourists are in a position to visit the attraction sites in Cuba considering their offer excellent experienced compared to other attraction sites in other regions.

On the other hand, the critics of the move to lift the Cuban embargo presented arguments based on the adverse effects that may be experienced following the move. The opinion of the critics was based on experiences regarding the interactions between the United States and Cuba resulting in insecurities. According to Munro (2015, p.350), the Cuban government was required to engage in measures that helped in addressing national issues such as business policies to allow the citizens to be in a position the undertake economic practices to boost growth and development of the country. Additionally, the critics argued that the Cuban people would not benefit from the lifting of the embargo considering that Cuba is a communist economy where the government owns all the major industries, which is a limiting factor to economic empowerment of the citizens. In this case, lifting of the ban would not benefit the citizen but would revert the situation whereby the Cuban citizens flock the US market in search of employment thereby leading to increased cases of insecurities in the US.

According to Horowitz (2018, p.28), approximately 97 percent of the Cuban citizen viewed the lifting of the ban and the normalization in both countries as a positive aspect that would provide an avenue for growth and development. Considering that lifting of the prohibition addressed vital elements involving free trade between the states, the move would help in creating a channel for economic growth and development considering that the Cuban citizens can trade within the American markets. Additionally, the implementation of the flexible foreign policy would provide a platform for investors to make massive investments that are beneficial to the citizens through factors such as the provision of employment opportunities to the citizen that focuses on poverty eradication. The Cuban citizens the viewed the move as a way of encouraging the government to engage in international relations that focus on enhancing growth and development associated with the financial and political aspects of the region.

Trump and Ties between the United States and Cuba 

Since 2016, the debate surrounding the United States policy towards the United States has been rekindled due to two separate events, which are the death of former Cuban President Fidel Castro and the election of President Donald Trump. Specifically, the election of President Trump has been seen as one of the key aspects that is much more likely to impact the progress that Cuba and the United States had achieved under the leadership of President Obama. In June 2017, President Trump indicated, in a statement on the United States-Cuba policy, that the United States was in the process of having to restore some of the restrictions on Cuba eased by his predecessor.

According to the Trump administration, the fact that Cuba had failed in its approach towards freeing all political prisoners in the country, as well as, hold free and fair elections can be viewed as a major violation to the expectations of the Castrol administration. Thus, this meant that the Trump administration would focus on restoring some of the notable restrictions against Cuba with the focus being towards building human rights efforts in the country. Although the Trump administration has faced significant criticism on its position on the U.S.-Cuba policy, it has maintained its position on the rollback of the progress made.

Both political and business leaders argue that the decision by President Trump to rollback efforts made by President Obama on Cuba would only seek to worsen the socio-economic position in Cuba. The country is facing significant challenges and issues touching on its social and economic positioning, thus, meaning that the adoption of a friendly United States foreign policy would expect that the country would be in a better position from which to build its capacity. The restrictions would expect that United States companies would not be in a place from which to operate in Cuba, as has been during the President Obama period. Ultimately, this would work towards reducing foreign direct investment in Cuba in a significant way. Although President Trump argues that this may not have any impacts on the businesses, it is clear that the restrictions would impact capacity for the country to establish itself.

A significant number of U.S. companies had invested heavily in Cuba following the easing of relationships between the two countries. Some of these companies include Google, Airbnb, and Amazon among others. The fact that the United States government is expected to implement further restrictions on Cuba would mean that the majority of these companies would experience a significant decline in their investments. The probable outcome of this is that these businesses would find it much harder for them to operate in Cuba, which may force them to withdraw their investments in the country. Thus, this seems to suggest that the highest impacts of restoring the restrictions against the United States would be on the Cuban people, who have suffered significantly since the placement of the embargo against Cuba, which affected its socioeconomic position.

Conclusion 

The Cuba and United States foreign policy has shifted significantly since the Cold War era during which time Fidel Castro overthrew a Cuban government that was backed by the United States. Although the United States government recognized the new Cuban government, the fact that President Castro decided to increase its ties with the Soviet Union, as well as, to cut relations with the United States acts as a critical aspect of consideration towards defining the strain the relationships. On it, part, the United States government responded by imposing restrictions both on trade and diplomacy against Cuba, which have had significant impacts on the country from a socio-economic perspective.

President Obama adopted a policy reform that saw ease in restrictions that were set out concerning aspects such as remittance and travel. The Raul Castro led the Cuban government also showed significant interest towards engaging in reforms with the focus being towards ensuring that it matched the efforts made by the United States government. The United States foreign policy focusing on Cuba meant that the Cuban government was expected to engage in policy reforms that would see the development of an inclusive government. Presidents Obama and Castro involved in bilateral talks organized by the Obama administration with the sole focus being towards discussing the bilateral tensions created between these two countries within the last 50 years. President Obama visited Cuba’s capital Havana in early 2016, which was historical considering that it was the first visit from a United States president since Calvin Coolidge in 1928. However, the efforts made by the Obama administration have been affected by the election of President Trump, who is inclined towards restoring some of the restrictions against Cuba regardless of the impacts that this would have on the country.

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