Cuba’s Current Integration into the International and Hemispheric Systems

Abstract

Although the prevalent image of Cuba is that of a country isolated from, or on the margins of, the hemispheric and international systems, this position fails to capture significant aspects of Cuba’s current integration into those systems. While recognizing that Cuba is, indeed, isolated from the most important institutions, the multilateral development banks, Cuba does, nonetheless, have extensive bilateral diplomatic, economic, scientific and cultural relations with most of the countries in the Western hemisphere, and has some form of relations with most of the world. This chapter seeks to address both the image and the broader reality of Cuba’s current position, and to emphasize Cuba’s integration, but also attempts to consider its isolation.