The George W. Bush–Castro Years
The George W. Bush–Castro Years
The last half century of tension between Cuba and the United States is rooted in the way the two countries have pursued contradictory interests that each has viewed as vital. Cuba has sought to protect its sovereignty; the United States has sought a stable regional order in which it is the dominant power. Each country's size in part influences the way it perceives threats to its vital interests, and the asymmetry between them provides an ongoing context for misperception, misunderstanding, and mistrust. But tension and hostility are not inevitable, and several particular sources of conflict from 2001 to 2008 can be traced to the influence President Bush accorded to Cuban Americans. In contrast, President Barack Obama took office with little obligation to hard-liners. To appreciate the course that Cuba policy took in the Obama administration, this chapter will provide an overview of Cuban-U.S. relations during the two administrations of George W. Bush, highlight particular directives that President Obama inherited which undermine the chances for innovation, and consider how a new international and domestic context might affect the policy.
Keywords: Cuban-U.S. relations, President Barack Obama, administrations of George W. Bush, policy
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