Historical Background

US draconian policies towards Cuba are rooted in the Monroe Doctrine given by US President James Monroe in 1823. It divided the world into two parts: America and Europe. According to this doctrine, the western hemisphere of the world would be solely controlled by America, and foreign interventions would not be tolerated. Before the 1959 Cuban Revolution, Cuba had been under the US-backed government of Fulgencio Batista. The public went against Batista due to his dictatorship and extreme corruption. Following these issues, Fidel Castro, a pro bono lawyer, rose and became a revolutionary leader.

Tensions between Cuba and the US rose in 1959 when the Cuban Revolution became successful, and Fidel Castro overthrew the US-supported regime of Fulgencio Batista. Castro was a Leninist Marxist who aligned with Soviet policies. Cuba is only 90 miles away from the US, and it comes under its sphere of influence. In the name of Cuba, the Soviet Union established a mini home in the backyard of the United States. As per the Monroe Doctrine, the US will not tolerate any foreign intervention, so the US, under the presidency of John F. Kennedy, imposed economic sanctions on Cuba, and it also supported the failed 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion carried out by CIA-trained Cuban exiles aboard vessels, including the Houston and Rio Escondido.

The tensions rose when US forces detected Soviet SS-4 and SS-5 nuclear missiles deployed in Cuba. Reports provided by the Council of Foreign Relations uncover that the US had also deployed its 15 SM-78 Jupiter ballistic missiles in Turkey, which was a Soviet sphere of influence, in response to the Soviet deployment of missiles in Cuba. Throughout history, all the republicans like Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, etc., have imposed sanctions on Cuba, while the Democrats, like Obama, have always tried to maintain close ties with Cuba.

President Trump, after his 1 year of 2.0 government, signed an executive order declaring that Cuba is an unusual and extraordinary threat to the US due to its close ties with Russia. President Trump said that “he can do anything with Cuba he wants with it.” To free Cuba from the communist regime, President Trump has cut all its oil supplies, due to which Cuba is suffering a blackout from the oil crisis. First, President Trump took over Venezuela, and then, in the name of drug cartels, he deployed his forces in Mexico, two key suppliers of oil to Cuba. Now Cuba is suffering from an oil crisis. President Trump has also said that “Cuba is next after Iran”. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that “The US would love to see regime change in the country”.

Strategic Importance of Cuba and the Great Power Competition

Cuba serves as a strategic chokepoint for the United States as it lies at the intersection of the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean basin, Atlantic shipping routes that connect the US with Latin America, Europe, and the Panama Canal. The Caribbean is known as the “third border” for the US, as it serves as a defensive buffer zone between America and Europe. Caribbean can provide a gateway to the external powers like China and Russia to intervene in the United States of America.

Cuba is situated just 90 miles away from the United States. Its importance was highlighted during the Cuban Missile Crisis when US officials noted that adversaries can easily pressure America via Cuba to achieve their interests. If there were foreign intervention in Cuba, then it could also affect the economy of the United States because many American cargoes pass through the Caribbean Sea. To maintain its sovereignty and to adhere to the Monroe Doctrine, the United States wants to take control of Cuba.

In the era of great power competition, the........

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