Challenges to cooperation between the United States and the European Union in the post-Cold War era: LIBERTAD and extraterritoriality. A case study

This thesis addresses the following research question: How does a change in relative political power impact upon generally cooperative political actors who are confronted with a non-cooperative policy?The extraterritoriality issue contained in the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996 presents itself as a case study, illustrating a trend toward relative power parity actuated by economic interdependence between a hegemon and a rising power, indicating how a decreasing power differential impacts upon conflict negotiation within a generally cooperative political environment.This thesis shall contribute to the emerging literature on the changing geopolitical dynamics of post-Cold War cooperation among states. Patterns displayed in this particular conflict of interests will likely lay the groundwork for future dynamics between the United States and the European Union as well as other political actors engaged in similar cooperative arrangements.