US Policies Toward Cuba In Obama Administration

As the only socialist country in American continent,the Republic of Cuba has always been isolated in politics and blockaded in economy by US governments since the victory of Cuban Revolution.US governments kept consistent tough attitude toward Cuban issue,which took a series of overt and covert actions for toppling the Fidel Castro regime.However,they did not reach anticipated results.While on December 17,2014,US president Obama declared an announcement in the White House that US would restore diplomatic relation with Cuba and launch the process of normalization to further engage and empower Cuban people.These were the significant changes and adjustments of US policies toward Cuba for the past half-century.With the methods of document analysis,historical periodization and level of analysis,this thesis analyzes the adjustments of US policies toward Cuba in Obama administration,evaluates its effects,and finally explores the causes of the adjustments.The main body of this thesis contains three chapters.Chapter 1 explores US policies toward Cuba before Obama administration.That course of history is divided into three periods by the influential event.The first period is before the Cold War,the second period is during the Cold War and the third period is from the end of the Cold War to the end of George W.Bush administration.Three periods show the evolution of US policies toward Cuba-taking completely control in the first period,constantly changing in the second period and using high-pressure to promote peaceful transition of Cuban regime in the third period.Chapter 2 focuses on the adjustments of US policies toward Cuba in Obama administration and consequences of these adjustments.This chapter firstly discusses strategies behind the adjustments.In contrast with the previous policies-regime change through putting pressure on Cuban government,Obama and his team try to engage Cuba by engaging Cuban political life and common Cuban people's life.And they also adjust some regulations to support the development of Cuban economy,to make Cuban people become richer and richer,and enjoy more rights,so that Cuban people would have more abilities to build up a “westernized”,“democratic”,prosperous and stable Cuba.Then this chapter probes into the contents of US policies toward Cuba in Obama administration.This part takes polices whichreveal the strategies-engagement and empowerment-as study subject such as diplomatic policies,economic policies,travel and remittance policies to analyze Obama's new policies toward Cuba in detail.Meanwhile,this chapter evaluates the effects of Obama's new policies.Under the new policies,parties from US and Cuba have extensive cooperation in many areas,and the US image in Latin America improves slightly.However,the new policies are carried out in the late time of Obama administration and are mainly administrative regulations which are sensitive to the change of presidency.Thus,with Trump in the White House,there are lots of uncertainties on whether Obama's new policies can be carried out for a long time and whether new strategies can achieve their ultimate goals.Chapter 3 discusses the causes behind the adjustments of policies toward Cuba in Obama administration from international systematic level,domestic level and individual level.At international systematic level,Cuba now is playing a more important role in Latin America,the US image in Latin America has been damaged in George W.Bush administration,the Cuba-Russia relation is re-warming,and the Cuba-EU relation is improving.All these pressures from international community force Obama and his team to make some adjustments on Cuban issues.At domestic level,the anti-Cuba power weakened.More and more voices at home press Washington to adjust policies toward Havana.At individual level,Obama's adjustments on policies not only leave political legacy for himself,but also maintain the image of the Democratic Party and benefit the campaign of the next presidential candidate from the Democratic Party.Through analyzing US policies toward Cuba in Obama administration,this thesis reveals the US new strategies — engagement and empowerment — in boosting a“westernized”,“democratic”,prosperous and stable Cuba.Meanwhile,this thesis explores and concludes the effects and causes of the adjustments.