Cuba at the Crossroads

Edited by Philip Brenner, John M. Kirk, William M. LeoGrande

Publication date:

10 March 2020

Length of book:

176 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781538136812

Cuba has undergone dramatic changes since the collapse of European communism. The loss of economic aid and preferential trade with the Soviet Union and other Eastern bloc countries forced the Cuban government to search out new ways of organizing the domestic economy and new commercial relations in an international system dominated by market economies. The resulting economic reforms have reverberated through Cuban society and politics, recreating social inequalities unknown since the 1950s and confronting the political system with unprecedented new challenges. The resulting ferment is increasingly evident in Cuban cultural expression, and the responses to adversity and scarcity have reshaped Cuban social relations. Cuba today faces new challenges with the transition to a new president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, and renewed hostility from the Trump administration. This timely book provides a balanced and deeply knowledgeable introduction to Cuba today. This concise overview focuses on Cuba since Raúl Castro stepped down as president, bringing together leading scholars to analyze politics, economics, foreign policy, and society in present-day Cuba. Ideally suited for students and all those seeking to understand this still contentious and controversial island, the book includes a substantive introduction setting the historical context, as well as a chronology and primary source documents.

Preface

Introduction: An Overview of Cuba from 2006 to 2019

Philip Brenner

1 Politics: The Challenges Facing Cuba’s New Leaders

William M. LeoGrande

2 Cuba’s Economy: Reforms and Delays, 2014–2018

Ricardo Torres

3 Cuban Foreign Policy, 2014–2019: From Raúl Castro to Miguel Díaz-Canel

John M. Kirk

4 Cuban Society: Becoming More Unequal, Connected and Diverse

Katrin Hansing and Bert Hoffmann

Chronology of Key Events: 2014–2019

Useful Websites

Excerpts from Primary Documents

Notes

Cuba, as the title here indicates, is indeed at a historic crossroads, facing such simultaneous challenges as its transition to new leadership, increased hostility from the Trump administration, an economy that is not performing as well as in recent years, and an international stage that has become more complicated to navigate. This timely book draws upon leading scholars to provide a deeply knowledgeable understanding of the efforts of the government and the island’s people to confront and overcome such challenges—as they did after the disintegration of the USSR and the Soviet bloc. Both general and more specialized audiences will find this an essential read.