The purpose is to describe the structure of the government of Cuba. The key questions include: Does the country respect human rights? Are minority rights secure? Is the rule of law upheld? Is the state a strong state or weak state? Is the country a federation or unitary government ?
As per analysis of the economic index categorization , it was determined that Cuba is a totalitarian communist state headed by General Raul Castro and party loyalists. It has got authoritarian regime, as the president determines the country’s progress. As regards, rights of the minorities, everyone who is a citizen has the right to discuss political, social and economic issues. However, real participation is confronted with a rigid "armor" of the hierarchical structure of society and the state. As per its structure, the power belongs to the central executive branch, where its decisions are discussed with the President of the Republic and later approved.
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As per the categorization, the analysis established the major challenge with the country’s categorization as linked with its authoritarian state. This is especially regarding the suppression of free and fair elections.
Political Institutions
The purpose is to describe the political institutions and the extent to which these institutions contribute to the well being of the people . The major questions include: How robust are the political institutions? How strong or weak is the president? How powerful is the legislative branch?
From the analysis, the major political institution is the executive, which operates through the Communist Party. The robust nature of the executive led to forbidding of any form of election campaigns within its borders. However, it provides a leeway for political discourse as every citizen has the right to discuss political, social and economic issues. Nevertheless, strong opposition stands in the way of real political participation, as such efforts receive massive hostility from the rigid "armor" of the hierarchical structure of society and the state.
Although the state claims to be democratic, the real situation points out that all power belongs to the central executive branch. In fact, all decisions rest within the executive through discussions with the President of the Republic, followed by approval of the same. In other words, the Communist Party , which comprises the executive bears absolute control on all aspect s of the Cuban political spectrum . The judicially has limited power as pertains to political issues. In fact, the executive largely dominates all major decisions affecting the country, and the judiciary has to follow in line.
Since the party wields so much political power, the Central Committee runs the party affairs, where the members have elections at the congress every five years. The absence of regular , free and fair elections as well as political pluralism alongside ccurtailed freedom of expression, as well as other political deficits completely undermine the possibility of Cuba being a real democratic political system .
Political Economy
The purpose is to look into the overall health of the economy and its impact on the quality of life of residents/citizens. The major question is on the type of political economy the country is based on . Notably, the Cuban administration observes a communist style to economic development, where the state retains the bulk of the means of production and maintains a firm control of almost all the facets of the economy. Presently, the state owns the greater majority of the corporations in the country and offers employment to at least 90 percent of the work force. The core bases of government revenue comprise of taxes, tourism, remittances, and various commodity exports especially sugar and nickel. Moreover, the existence of foreign capital is limited to a small number of sectors such as technology, mining, and oil extraction. With its socialist approach, the economy of Cuba features prominently as one of the most nationalized in the world.
Looking at some of the historical features of then Cuban economy, the progression in state ownership of economic resources has been noteworthy. During the initial two years after the revolution, the state owned all economic resources. However, as years went by, the state of Cuba, allowed cooperative, private (represented by foreign capital), individual and mixed ownership within its borders. The course of privatization of state (unprofitable) enterprises commenced, resulting in attraction of foreign investments. Afterwards, the state restricted its monopoly of foreign trade, and the ban on flow of foreign exchange in the nation was lifted. Faced with various economic hardships, the state of Cuba allowed importation of commodities. This is more so, particularly bearing in mind that Cuba imports close to 80% of the foodstuffs needed for feeding the population.
At present, one of the major problems fronting Cuba is the requirement to make imports of large quantities of consumer goods. This problem essentially arises from the past heritage. Up until 1959, and later, Cuba remained a nation of cane monoculture, and as a result, it had a heavy reliance on the USA initially, before shifting to the Soviet market. In other words, the proceeds from sugar exports into the foreign market purchased a wide variety of light industry merchandise. However, the European socialist camp and the USSR subjected Cuba to hard economic times, forcing it to fully reconstruct its economic infrastructure. Although the restructuring improved some aspects of the Cuban economy, the country's lack of adequate light industry capacity forces it to spend foreign exchange reserves on consumer products.
Political Culture
The purpose is to explore the extent to which political culture and identity affect citizen capabilities in Cuba. The major questions include: What is the level of social trust? What is the importance of religion in the lives of citizens ? What are the different ethnic and religious groups? Are there ethnic, religious, or cultural tensions?
In its endeavor to enhance social development, programs designed for social development, as per the law, require initiation by government ministries or state institutions. The analysis shows that the country has five mass organizations: the Cuban Women's Federation, the Cuban Workers' Confederation, the Cuban Youth Union, the Revolutionary Defense Committees and the National Association of Farmers. Through these organizations, a number of pastors for peace from the United States send medical, food and medical supplies to Cuba every year. Moreover, several compliance organization agencies operate within the island, including the United Nations development Program. The challenge is that any form of citizen initiative requires alignment with the established institutions
Another significant aspect of Cuba is its military. The critics of the revolution observed the reality of CDR and obligatory military service, indicating that Cuba comprises of a highly militarized society. On the contrary, this allegation seems wrong, since people from CDR had no arms and had the approach of an "army of gossip" than a real police force. However, compulsory military service could well be replaced by a year of working in the agricultural sector of the economy.
Indisputably, the Cuban military demonstrates quite an active front, with their participation in supporting liberation movements around the world manifesting conspicuously. The Cuban army made missions to various countries, assisting the subordinates of the third world towards fighting for liberation from neo-colonial powers and tyrants. The most famous example is the country of Angola. During the war Angola faced South Africa where the Cuban soldiers stood against South Africa and invaded it from the North.
Political Participation
Under political participation, the purpose is to define the types and levels of political participation of the residents of Cuba. In reference to Article 1 of the Constitution of Cuba, the nation of Cuba is a sovereign and independent socialist state of working people organized by all and for the benefit of all as a cohesive and democratic nation . This article also mentions that Cubans enjoy social justice, political freedom, individual and collective welfare as well as a common bond of unity.
The key question lies on whether the citizens have a voice in the government as well as their participation in elections and decision making . A further analysis of the facts points out that the political leadership is under the control of one party, the Communist Party of Cuba . Currently, Cuba operates as a totalitarian communist state under the leadership of General Raul Castro, alongside his inner circle of the communist party loyalists.
The key challenge is that with only one party in Cuba, the election of a person to a public office makes not requirement on membership in the party. All the same, candidates without party membership stand an insignificant chance of election, since the Communist Party dominates the country’s politics.
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