Page 11 - Social Science.docx

they have caused us with their blockades and economic aggression and repeated political and military misdeeds.”11
The poor economic conditions Cuba faced as a result of the embargo only made relations between the countries more hostile and pushed Cuba closer to the Soviet Union. Jockeying for global approval, the Soviets came to Cuba’s aid while the Americans freely welcomed Cuban refugees. Instead of invading Cuba, the U.S. encouraged middle to upper-class Cubans to relocate by making it extremely easy to guarantee refugee status, generous housing, education, and medical benefits. In addition to the embargo limiting the flow of material goods to Cuba, Kennedy’s ‘brain drain’ effectively eliminated Cuba’s professionals essential to their economy.
In addition to degrading Cuban-American relationships by catalyzing President Kennedy’s various policies strengthening trade restrictions through the embargo, President Kennedy’s actions during the 1961 Bay of Pigs also deteriorated Cuban-American relations by pushing Cuba closer to the U.S.S.R. The invasion left Cuba on-edge regarding the United States and, as Fidel Castro described, was seen as a policy intended to “first to destroy the revolution.12 In the midst of the Cold War, the Soviet Union jumped at the opportunity to welcome a nation so geographically close to their enemy into their fold.13 President Kennedy’s belief in the Domino Effect–if one country’s government became Communist, then its neighboring countries would all fall in line and join the ranks of the Communist nations–compelled him to focus on overthrowing Castro and also contributed to the animosity between the nations. For the U.S., the Cold War was a zero-sum game
11 “Castro Speech Data Base - Latin American Network Information Center, LANIC.” LANIC. 12 “CastroSpeechDataBase-LatinAmericanNetworkInformationCenter,LANIC.”LANIC. 13 “Timeline | Saving Elian | FRONTLINE.” PBS. Public Broadcasting Service.
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