U.s. Hegemony And The Cuban Revolution

After the cold war, the Soviet Union, whose close relation with Cuba was regarded as a great threat to U.S. national security, collapsed. The breakdown of the bipolar system of international relations disengaged Cuba from the East-West axis. Consequently, by 1989, perceptions of most U.S. officials recognized that Cuba was not a threat to U.S. national security. The new context offered excellent political opportunities for U.S. and Cuba to normalize their relations. However, despite the end of the cold war, U.S. has remained hostile to the Cuban Revolution. Why? Scholars have many different opinions. The author, based on much available and reliable information, points out that the essence of U.S. hostility toward Cuba is American hegemonism.The paper is fallen into five parts. Part one is "Theoretical Framework: Hegemony, Sovereignty and Intervention". In this part, the author explains the concepts of hegemony, sovereignty and intervention. Build on the framework, the author points out that American hostile actions violate the Cuban sovereignty. Part two, "Historical Overview: U.S.-Cuban Relations Before the End of the Cold War", analyzes U.S. hegemonical ambition toward Cuba, which came from economic interests and strategic interests. After the America-Spanish war, U.S. built its hegemony in Cuba. After the Cuban revolution, U.S. lost its hegemony. But its ambition has never lost. After the Cuban revolution succeeded, Cuba kept good touch and close relation with the Soviet Union. Since then, U.S. had regarded Cuba as a threat to its national security. The so-called threat was just an excuse, whose essence is that U.S. wanted to dominate Cuba and build its hegemony in Cuba again. In part three, "U.S. Hegemonism Toward Cuba Since the Collapse of the Soviet Union", the author thinks the U.S. changed its global strategy and foreign policy in order to build global hegemony after the cold war. So its hostility toward Cuba contains new meaning: U.S. regards the Cuban Revolution as a new threat. It says under the leadership of Fidel Castro, the Cuban have no democracy and no human rights, which would lead Cuba to chaos and threat U.S. national security. So U.S. must help Cuba to transit toward democracy. The part analyzes U.S. hostile actions toward Cuba, and concludes these actions violate the Cuban sovereignty. Part four is "The Challenges of the Cuban Revolution to U.S. Hegemony Since the Collapse of the Soviet Union ". Since the first war of independence (1868-1878), the Cuban have dreamed to be independent from Spain and then America. After the cold war, the Cuban Revolution lost Soviet Union's support, which had a critical impact on Cuba. The island had to undertake an economic overhaul to be able to face the internal challenges brought about by changes in international relations. Under difficult circumstances, Cuba is not subject to U.S. power. Cuban government has its own ideas. It believes U.S. democracy is not real democracy, the real democracy is socialist democracy. So Cuba struggles against U.S. hostility, meanwhile reforms to help Cuba out of trouble. Based on above analyses, the author makes perspectives toward the development of U.S.Cuban relations in the last part.