Assignment 8

1. Despite having a strong base in agriculture the Caribbean has begun to fall behind as competition from the global markets persist. What was a crutch for the economy in the form of tourism has become the main aspect of many Caribbean economies. As great as that may be however, it has its downsides as well. Tourism is something derived from vacationing patrons who enjoy travel in their leisure time. During periods of economic crisis, as seen back in 2008, leisure tends to get put on the back burner as needs tend to eclipse wants during times of struggle.
One of the reasons this impacts the Caribbean so hard has a lot to do with its populations. Many of the islands rely so greatly one form of income through tourism that instead of negative impacts being spread across several sectors it is only one that suffers causing many of those employed to suffer as well.
Strategies to lessen economic problems in the Caribbean a difficult to devise. Economic diversity is difficult to provide given the limited resources along with them being spread thin as it is. Haiti serves as an example of not diversifying its economic approach, who based its economy on its timber production to the point it clear cut the entire portion of the island it inhabited. Foresight is key to these sort of issues and understanding long term affects to a strategy can decide on whether it is worth doing at all.
For the Caribbean, much of what it needs to do is stabilize its economy back with its agriculture. The recent boom in organic farming would provide the niche that the agriculture sector would need. Especially in the realm of non-GMO production. In the United States along with other Countries it is becoming increasingly difficult for farmers to grow organically from a genetic stand point. Much of this is due to the cross-pollination that occurs from one field to the next across huge amounts of land. An island on the other hand is just that, and island, easily isolated from the genetic contamination that is GMO. If governments would make the attempt to ban GMO and rid the islands of the scourge, the ability for farmer to produce heirloom, organic produce would be possible and sustainable. It is a simple solution but one that could have surprisingly good effects.

2. For many people in government along with citizens of the Unites States that saw the Cold War and the things that came from it remember differently Cuba and the role that it played. China and the United States are currently engaged in a love-hate economic relationship that is symbiotic in a sense. If one fails so will the other, sort of. As Americans we know what China is and stands for but it too has realized its ways in a sense, at least economically, and has ventured outside the walls of communism that still hold back Cuba. China is a strange mix of capitalism and communism that blurs the line between traditional models of the two extremes. Capitalism will eventually give way to a structured middle class that in time will evolve into a blossoming democracy or at least in the United States we hope so. Cuba has not budged from its stance despite the fall of the USSR. In the case of Cuba also, many things went into forming the relationship today as tumultuous as it is, many things that people have forgotten.
It came from both sides but the relationship has been bitter since 1960. When, a United States supported, Fidel Castro overthrew the government of General Batista it seemed that things for the country would begin to turn around. Castro visited the United States and for a short time the countries were on the best terms they had been in some time. This didn’t last long and what would ensue would develop into one of the bitterest relationships in the history of the world.
Not long after his visit Castro seized private land and assets, conforming to communist principals that were vehemently opposed by the Unites States especially during the 1950s and 60s. From that point forward the United States did everything to slow the economic progress of the small island nation. Embargos were set in place to which Cuba extended its trade to the then Soviet Union. It wasn’t long after that Cuba found itself in the middle of a crisis that almost brought two super powers to nuclear war. The Cuban Missile Crisis was never forgiven despite it being resolved by Russia and the United States. From that point the CIA made attempts on Castro’s life and during the Kennedy administration attempted to overthrow Castro. It only strengthened the Cuban leader’s displeasure for the United States. Espionage found its way onto our shores though Cuban spies that infiltrated the CIA. Some were even turncoats that defected to the other side giving the names of several agents that would lead to their deaths at the hands of Castro’s regime.
After two United States private planes were shot down in the 1990s by the Cuban government, the embargo was strengthened and involved even more countries having trade restrictions on Cuba. So, to say that it is simply a trade embargo that was started because a revolutionary leader decided to choose communism over democracy would be simplifying the matter greatly as it has been recently simplified in the new. Are both to blame in the matter, absolutely. Who is right and wrong depends on the perspective, in my opinion we are right in most aspects. Documentarian Michael Moore paints the picture of Cuba as a great place with free medical care unattainable in the United States. Its examples like Moore’s that cause people to forget the whole reasons why as old as they are. In terms of human rights however I’d say Cubans have it slightly better than the Chinese in most cases. Speaking out against the government will get you the same results. If we wanted to focus on the issues it would be China that threatens and violates United States national security but when put in light that doesn’t sit well with country that owns the majority of your $19 trillion dollars in debt. References: http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1891359,00.html http://cuban-exile.com/doc_451-475/doc0451.html