Examine how the U.S. foreign policy with Cuba has changed since the trade embargo

Topic:

I will be selecting Cuba as my country of choice to examine how the U.S. foreign policy has changed over the past 30 years.

Thesis Statement:

The embargo on trade exports between the United States and Cuba starting in the 1960 ’s designated Cuba as a close ally to the Soviet Union, but over the past decades has not helped change regimes or deter investment in the country.

Annotated Bibliography:

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. The Pros and Cons of the United States' Embargo against Cuba. (2016). Congressional Digest, 95(10), 14.

The authors of this journal, well-respected members of the United States Senate and House of Representatives, share their positions for the decision to normalize relations with Cuba by President Obama. Each person gives a full position of how their constituents would be effected by this and how it would either harm or help our interest as a country. There is a need for dialogue, reconciliation, and interaction between the people of the United States and Cuba. The President can only go so far as to how much he can normalize relations, but Congress needs to act as well for these relations to go any further.

1. Bowman, J. C. (2017). Cuba embargo. Points Of View,

The author of this paper wanted to give an understanding of how we arrived at the Cuban embargo and the history behind it. The author also wanted to give a point of view on how well this foreign policy decision has been handled over the past few decades and is this something that should be changed. The author takes a look at the people, decisions, business opportunities, and alike to provide a realistic point of view of how the United States and Cuba can work together to achieve something they both want.

1. Keating, J. (2014, December 19). Sanctions Rarely Work. Why Does America Keep Using Them? Retrieved June 18, 2017, from http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_world_/2014/12/19/what_the_cuba_embargo_teaches_us_about_sanctions.html

The article presents reporting on how effective sanctions really are and what the overall impact is to the country in question that is being sanctioned. The author presents a capable argument for portraying the United States as an effective leader in crippling the economies of the world as seen in Cuba and in Russia. Sanctions have been an effective tool against countries that the United States has had its disagreements with and have even forced others like Iran to come to the negotiating table. Overall the author presents support for overall sanctions on countries like Cuba, but also argues that these sanctions should be looked at to make sure they are effective as they were once intended.

1. Shifter, M. (2015). Shift in US-Cuba Policy. Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, 16(2), 102-110.

The article discusses the United States 2014 foreign policy shift towards Cuba and its implications on the U.S. relations with other Latin American countries. Topics include the Cuban government's opening of direct telecommunication line to the U.S., the U.S. soft power and engagement with Latin America and Caribbean, and Latin America's criticisms of the Cuban embargo and the U.S. attempts to diplomatically isolate Cuba. Other topics include the impact of such policy shift on Venezuela, the potential advancements of human rights and democracy causes in Latin America due to policy shift, and the importance of lifting the Cuban embargo on the U.S. renewed engagement and diplomacy with Latin America.

1. Mazzei, P. (2017, June 15). Trump recasts Cuba policy, takes harder line than Obama on military, travel. Retrieved June 18, 2017, from http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/cuba/article156337129.html

The author highlights the foreign policy changes that are going to take place under the Trump administration towards Cuba and the overall Castro regime. The author talks about how the Trump administration will set a tighter noose around Cuba and the relations that have been reestablished under the Obama administration. The author presents the facts about how this is more of a political decision rather than a foreign policy decision that was thought out. The author points out that some of the previous policy considerations that the Obama administration made were going to be kept under the Trump administration as well.

1. FEINBERG, R. (2013). Foreign Investment in the New Cuban Economy. NACLA Report On The Americas, 46(1), 13.

The article offers information on the revival and evolution of the economic condition of Cuba from foreign investments from 1990 to 2011. An overview is given on the economic challenges faced by the country. It describes the secrecy culture of the Cuban government in addressing and releasing data about its international capital flows. It also explores the country's source of information on foreign direct investment (FDI) flows.