Description
Book SynopsisCuba 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 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.
Table of ContentsPreface
Introduction: An Overview of Cuba from 2006 to 2019
Philip Brenner
1 Politics: The Challenges Facing Cuba’s New Leaders
William M. LeoGrande
2 Economy
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
