SJS 8: The US-Cuba Thaw and Hemispheric Realtions

Source:
Shifter, Michael. "The US-Cuba Thaw and Hemispheric Relations." Current History
    115.778 (2016): 75-76. Print.

Author Credentials:
Michael Shifter is the current president of Inter-American Dialogue. This organization manages relations and interactions between Western Hemisphere countries, thus making him an expert on the US-Cuba dilemma. In addition, Shifter is a professor at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. He is a graduate of both Oberlin College and Harvard University. On top of this, he has years of experience in the field of foreign relations, as he once led a Latin America and Caribbean program at the National Endowment for Democracy. For these reasons and many more, Shifter is highly qualified and well versed in this field.

Summary:
The US's policy of diplomatic and economic isolation of Cuba remains the most divisive factor in the international relations among Western Hemisphere countries. Recently however, President Obama announced his intentions of lifting the sanctions in order to rebuild interactions with Cuba. This decision has the potential to lift numerous struggles that have plagued both Cuba and the American-Cuban populations since the trade embargo of 1962. Many view the sanctions on Cuba as the primary obstacle on the road to normal relations between Cuba and the US. The move toward  normal relations between the two countries has proven to be very popular on both sides. In addition to the diplomatic benefits of re-establishing friendly relations, there is significant business interest for both sides as well. The US's punitive actions toward Cuba have also had a negative impact of the world's view of the United States of America in the sense that the policy portrays the US as somewhat of an imperial power. All things considered, improving relations between the US and Cuba opens the possibility for innumerable benefits on both sides, and it is likely that this change will be seen very soon.

Analysis:
This article concisely and comprehensively explains and analyses many different aspects of the US-Cuba issue. It discusses several points that have been prevalent in our other World Cultures units, such as Cold War isolationism and imperialism. It relates the US sanctions on Cuba to the isolated policy used widely throughout the Cold War period. Furthermore, Shifter explains the correlations between the US's policy over Cuba and the policies of Imperialism that have been seen all throughout history. We have discussed the common theme of imperialism in nearly all of our units this semester. The Article successfully poses an unbiased account of the issue and addresses the fact that while the resolution of tensions between Cuba and the US is highly probable, there are also push backs and the desire to reconcile is not nearly unanimous.