1 / 21

Cuba

Cuba. MDAW 2013: DCH & MBK. Cuba Facts. Population: 11+ million Area: 43,000 square miles Capital: Havana. Background Info. Settled by the Taino ( Arawak ), Guanajatebey and Ciboney peoples Brought to European attention by Christopher Columbus in 1492

reegan
Download Presentation

Cuba

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Cuba MDAW 2013: DCH & MBK

  2. Cuba Facts • Population: 11+ million • Area: 43,000 square miles • Capital: Havana

  3. Background Info • Settled by the Taino (Arawak), Guanajatebey and Ciboney peoples • Brought to European attention by Christopher Columbus in 1492 • Colonization by Spain began in 1511, and was based on the encomienda system (slavery / indentured servitude of indigenous peoples) • Indigenous labor was replaced with slave labor (largely taken from West Africa) • Spanish control of the colony, which had a large export-based economy (sugar, coffee, tobacco), lasted until 1898

  4. Background, cont’d • A revolution (Marti) began in 1895—the war saw massive atrocities (first modern concentration camps) and tremendous numbers of civilian deaths • Remember the Maine—destruction of U.S. battleship that was used as a pretext for war against the Spanish Empire • War ended in 1898 with the U.S. acquiring Puerto Rico, the Philippines and Guam from Spain and Cuba gaining independence • U.S. claimed right to monitor Cuba’s foreign relations and finances

  5. Background, cont’d • Former president Fulgencio Batista seized control of Cuba via coup in 1952 • Fidel Castro led a revolution against the Batista regime beginning in 1956; captured Havana/ gained U.S. recognition in 1959 • U.S. efforts to isolate the Castro regime began soon thereafter, including sanctions, support for rebel groups, and assassination attempts • Cuba began close collaboration with the USSR and other communist states

  6. Background, cont’d • Cuban Missile Crisis • Cuba faced serious problems after the collapse of the USSR in 1991—loss of energy, financial, military support • Cuba adapted—reforms to the socialist economy, new alliances with China, Venezuela, other Bolivaran states • Fidel Castro stepped down in 2008, replaced by his younger brother Raul • The U.S. embargo, codified in 1993’s Cuba Democracy Act and 1996’s Helms-Burton law, remains in place

  7. Status of U.S.-Cuba Relations • Trade, assistance, business relations, monetary transactions, travel, financial transactions, etc. are all severely restricted • Exceptions exist for trade in particular goods/services (particularly agriculture) and travel/remittances by certain Americans (typically Cuban ex-pats and their descendants). All relations must be licensed, and those licenses are very difficult to obtain • The U.S. tries to enforce aspects of the embargo extra-territorially (outside of the U.S.) • Resumption of trade/relations is conditioned on Cuba meeting strict economic/political liberalization goals

  8. Rationale for the Embargo • Cuba’s government poses a security threat to the U.S. and we should not do anything to enrich the regime • Cuba’s government oppresses its people, and refusing to do business with the regime demonstrates our objections to these practices • Cuba’s government stole property from American companies and citizens (old and new) • The U.S. needs to take a hardline with Cuba to signal to our enemies that are deeply resolved to defeat them

  9. Proposals for Change • Normalize relations • End particular isolation policies • Travel restrictions • Agricultural payment restrictions • Restrictions on transactions with state-owned enterprises • Restrictions on joint resource development • Restrictions on access to financial services • Terror list • Restrictions on humanitarian items /telecomm remittances • Restrictions on public/private collaborations • Promote exchanges / dialogue • Conditioned (tit for tat) easing of restrictions • Return Guantanamo Bay

  10. Advantage Areas • Cuba Economy • Cuba Political Transition / Stability • Humanitarian Concerns • Imperialism is Bad • International Law • Relations / Collaboration Good • Drug cooperation • Environmental cooperation • Scientific Cooperation

  11. Advantage Areas, cont’d • U.S. Credibility / Influence • Allies / extraterritorial sanctions • Influence vs. competitor states (China, Russia, Venezuela) • Latin American states • Multilateralism • U.S. Economy

  12. Negative Gripes • Topicality • Ending the embargo goes above and beyond “economic engagement” • Many forms of engagement are likely not “economic” • Counterplans • Advantage counterplans • Alternative mechanism of engagement • Domestic actor (executive v. courts v. congress) • Unconditional vs. QPQ • U.S. vs. alternate international actor

  13. Neg Gripes, cont’d • Disadvantages • Politics • Cuba as Security Threat • Cuba as Unspoiled Socialist Paradise • U.S. hegemony / influence bad • Reverse Cuba political transition / stability • Kritiks • Traditional IR K’s—identity, geopolitics, etc. • Affs have to be “economic” • Affs have to be “engagement” • “Economic engagement” means using trade/aid to turn other countries into “mini-me’s”

More Related