A Contemporary Cuba Reader by Brenner Philip; Jiménez Marguerite Rose; Kirk John M

Author:Brenner, Philip; Jiménez, Marguerite Rose; Kirk, John M.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: undefined
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Published: 2012-03-02T16:00:00+00:00

Conclusion

When speculating about the transition to a post-Fidel political order in Cuba, many observers (particularly in U.S. governmental/mass media circles and especially in Miami) tended to assume that the process would somehow be extremely chaotic—Fidel would soldier on until the very last minute, and then his demise would create a power vacuum that would plunge the society into chaos. This speculation proved to be totally divorced from reality because Fidel had made provisions for an orderly changing of the guard. The Revolution had been Fidel’s life work, and he was not about to put his legacy at risk by allowing a situation to develop that might endanger it.

Given the orderly transition, it should not be surprising that there has been a significant degree of policy continuity under Raúl, especially in the realm of foreign affairs. Fidel and the party/governmental leadership have always shared, along with the general population, a strong commitment to the deep currents of nationalism that have long flowed through the island’s political culture. These sentiments have, from the very beginning of the Revolution, manifested themselves in an international agenda that stresses maximizing the country’s economic security, its prestige in world affairs, and its effective sovereignty. Raúl, of course, has been and remains a part of this tradition. Therefore, while there has been and will continue to be some tactical policy adjustments in response to changes in the domestic or international environments, the larger strategic vision summarized here should continue to characterize the basic dynamics of Cuba’s foreign relations under Raúl.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.