Synopses & Reviews
In this first comprehensive study of U.S. policy toward Cuba in the post-Cold War era, Morris Morley and Chris McGillion draw on interviews with Bush and Clinton policymakers, congressional participants in the policy debate, and leaders of the anti-sanctions business community to argue that Bush and Clinton operated within the same Cold War framework that shaped the Cuba policy of their predecessors. They also demonstrate that U.S. policy after 1989 was driven principally by domestic imperatives. The result was the pursuit of a policy that had nothing to do with its stated objectives of promoting reforms in Cuba and everything to do with dismantling Castro's regime. This study also addresses the international consequences: the extraterritorial applications of national laws to America's allies; and a willingness to put in danger the operations of the global free trade regime. Few issues more starkly revealed the degree to which U.S. policymakers exhibited a striking lack of realism about America's capacity to impose its will globally.
Synopsis
The first comprehensive study of US policy toward Cuba in the post-Cold War era. Drawing on interviews with Bush and Clinton policymakers, congressional participants in the policy debate, and leaders of the anti-sanctions business community, it makes an important original contribution to our knowledge of American policy during this period.
About the Author
Chris McGillion has taught at the Universities of Sydney and New South Wales, and Macquarie University. He is a former editorial page editor of the Sydney Morning Herald and has written for the Political Science Quarterly. As a journalist, he has made several trips to Cuba.
Table of Contents
Introduction; 1. The Bush administration and Cuba: from Cold War to deep freeze; 2. Clinton and Cuba, January 1993 to February 1996: closing the options; 3. Helms-Burton and the triumph of politics over policy; 4. Stirring the waters: Clinton's missed opportunities; Conclusion; Postscript: Washington's last Cold War.