Page 14 - Social Science.docx

Principles of social science
Cuba staffed with combat troops and advisors while they closely monitored the U.S. Although Cuba “provided military assistance throughout Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America, either to pro-Communist governments or Communist revolutionaries,” with the election of Democrat Jimmy Carter in 1976 brought renewed hopes of better U.S.-Cuban relations. While only slight relaxations in policies took place, the politically powerful Cuban-exiled community put an end to any further thawing of relations.18
Despite the dissolution of the Soviet Union, U.S.-Cuban relations managed to continually deteriorate. Although some European and Latin American countries traded with Cuba, “Cuba lost approximately 80% of its imports, 80% of its exports and its GDP dropped by 35%. Cuba’s oil imports dropped 10% of pre-1990 amounts.”19 During this time–Cuba’s “Special Period”–the nation’s economy suffered brutal shortages and food rationing. To make matters worse, President Clinton enacted the Helms-Burton Act of 1996, which punitively dissuaded foreign countries from trading with Castro. Through this damaging U.S. legislation, U.S. citizens could now sue foreign investors on behalf of any Cuban property previously owned by Amicans that was recovered by Castro’s government.20
18 Tkacik, "Cuba and the United States.”
19 Carmen Diana Deere, “Cuba's Struggle for Self-Sufficiency - Aftermath of the Collapse of Cuba's Special Economic Relations with Eastern Europe,” Monthly Review | Find Articles at BNET.com. Monthly Review, July 1, 1991.
20 Dan Burton, “H.R.927 - 104th Congress (1995-1996): Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996.”
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