The Actualization of the Cuban Model of Social and Economic Development and Its Impact on National Foreign Policy

Abstract

The ‘actualization’ of the Cuban social and economic model is a set of measures taken by the Cuban government to improve the country's socio-economic situation by attracting foreign capital and developing the private sector of the economy. These reforms are unprecedented in the history of socialist Cuba, since the country's leadership has never resorted to such comprehensive and profound reforms before. These measures include partial revision of tenets of Cuban statehood that previously seemed immutable. Such metamorphoses executed by Havana, despite their domestic political nature, have had a significant impact on the country's foreign policy, its bilateral relations with key world actors, and have changed Cuba's role and status both at the global and regional levels. ‘Actualization’ was a well-timed response of the Cuban government to the revision of the foundations of U.S. regional policy in Latin America under B. Obama, which subsequently allowed the parties to begin the so-called ‘Cuban thaw’ in bilateral relations. The transformation affected relations between Havana and the European Union, which were institutionalized due to the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement and turned the EU into Caribbean state’s important investment and trade partner. China and countries of Latin America have also felt the effects of Cuba's socio-economic transformation. The evolution of Russian-Cuban relations which have undergone significant changes over the past two decades deserves particular attention in the context of ‘actualization’. A fold increase in bilateral trade turnover and the development of political dialogue between Moscow and Havana are markers of positive dynamics. However, it cannot be claimed that the Russian side has totally benefited from the Cuban socio-economic reforms, given the unique potential that Russia has in regard to Cuba.