Cuba S Transition To Democracy

With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, foreign policy analysts and international relations scholars expected communist Cuba to undergo transitions to democracy and to markets as had the Eastern European nations of the former Soviet bloc. But more than a decade after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Castro remains in power, with no sign that the Cuban government or economy is moving toward liberalization. In Democracy Delayed, political scientist Juan López offers a searching and detailed analysis of the factors behind Cuba's failure to liberalize. López begins by comparing the political systems of three Eastern European states—the former German Democratic Republic, Czechoslovakia, and Romania—with that of Cuba, in order to identify the differences that have allowed Castro to maintain his hold over the government and the economy. López also shows the various conditions promoting change, including the development of civil society groups in Cuba, and discusses why some U.S. policies help the possibility of democratization in Cuba while others hinder it. While the Catholic Church in Poland and the Protestant Church in East Germany fostered change, the Catholic Church in Cuba has not taken a defiant stance against authoritarianism but seems instead to be biding its time until Castro is out of the picture. In conclusion, López argues that a political transition in Cuba is possible even under the government of Fidel Castro. Some necessary conditions have been missing, but it is possible that U.S. policies could lay the groundwork for democratic charge.

The tidal wave of democracy has yet to crash across the shores of Cuba primarily because the colossal personal of Fidel Castro has obstructed its path. What will happen when Castro is gone from the political scene? What forces, if any, exist on the Caribbean Island that would encourage change? Is the wave of democracy simply circling Cuba awaiting Castro's downfall or has Fidel created a breakwater that will keep his revolution alive well past his death? Castro's passing will undoubtedly bring about a leadership vacuum in Cuba that will thrust the island further along a transitional path, a path that began when Cuba lost its Soviet benefacton The purpose of this thesis is to explore the transition path Cuba has been on since the collapse of the Soviet Union in four key arenas: political society, economic society, civil society, and the international arena. It will also determine if these alterations have helped pave the way for liberalization and a transition to democracy after Castro is gone. In short, this thesis argues that what occurs in Cuba before Castro dies will determine what happens after he dies. Recommendations for U.S. policy are made based on the findin%s in this thesis.

This book examines U.S.-Cuba relations within the framework of the U.S.'s long-standing policy agenda of promoting a democratic transition in Cuba. The study builds a theoretical framework which is used to analyze the assumptions underlying the U.S. strategy. It presents a rich empirical analysis that gives insight into the U.S. policies which produced neither the collapse of the Cuban regime nor a transition to democracy. It is examined using a theoretical framework and an empirical analysis from both a top-down and a bottom-up approach.

The contributors to this collection offer a range of views on the growing political and economic challenges facing the Castro regime, how these challenges will be met, and Cuba's prospects for a peaceful transition to democracy.

Analyzes the nature of participatory democracy in a revolutionary context, examines Cuba's economic prospects in a rapidly changing international environment, and offers a series of studies of the texture of everyday life in the Western hemisphere's only socialist country. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

This book is an insightful look into Cuba's current economic situation and an argument in favor of democracy and a free market economy.