Relations between the United States and Cuba (International Relations Final Paper)

Billau !1

Alessandro Billau

Prof. Daniel Fuerstman

INR 2002

February 17, 2019

Research Paper Part I: Relations between the U.S and Cuba

Growing up in Miami, I have been exposed to countless accounts of Cuban culture and

heritage. I attended Belen Jesuit Preparatory School which was founded in 1854 in Havana, Cuba

by Queen Isabel II of Spain. In 1961, the new political regime of Cuba confiscated the school

property and expelled the Jesuits. The school was re-established in Miami the same year, and

continue to keep their traditions alive. This year also marks the 60th anniversary of the Cuban

revolution. In retrospect of my Cuban alma mater, I would like to dive deeper to explore more

about the social, political, and economic relations between the U.S and Cuba. For this research

paper assignment, I would start in 1959 with Fidel Castro and his rise to complete control of the

island nation. Since then, the United States and Cuba have undergone political hostility, inva-

sions, economic embargoes, and nuclear crisis. The diplomatic relations between the two coun-

tries have remained at a standstill well after the Cold War but under the Obama administration

relations were turning back to normal until its policies were abated by the Trump administration

in recent years. Next, using library databases from the State College of Florida will allow me

find books, magazines, and academic articles regarding the history between the U.S and Cuba.

As well as, very credible sources such as the U.S. Department of State or the Council on Foreign

Relations (CFR). Finally, achieving approval for this paper would allow myself to learn more

about the two countries and their ideologies behind foreign policy with each other.