US-Cuban Bilateral Relations Show Renewed Potential

With a research focus on Latin America, Dr. Jorge I. Dominguez was active on the Harvard University faculty for many years as professor and vice provost for international affairs. An area of in-depth scholarship for Dr. Dominguez has been Cuba’s governance under Communist leaders and he authored an article in 2021 called “U.S. Policy toward Cuba: What Should the Biden Administration Do?”

As Dr. Dominguez views it, a key decision point has been whether Trump administration sanctions should be sustained, within the context of the Cuban government’s 2020 economic reforms. If past history is a guide, sanctions have largely been unnecessary and ineffectual, even as Cuba has instituted “market-conforming economic policy changes” several times since the early 1970s.

When the Trump administration repeatedly instituted sanctions, Cuba’s government refused to budge. With US interests not furthered by those actions, the only real outcome was pain for ordinary Cubans. Investment-enabling US remittances were capped and US visitor flow cut off.

When Cuba finally announced economic reforms, this was in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and a shutdown in international tourism, rather than US pressure. In addition, these reforms were only instituted after it was clear Biden had won the presidency. Reforms included a new authorized private sector activities, as well as a move toward a single currency. With the Cuban government providing evidence that it was willing to move further in a direction initiated under Obama, the recommended course for Biden is to move back toward a cooperative US-Cuban bilateral stance.

Routledge Handbook of Latin America in the World

A writer and publisher, Jorge Dominguez focuses on comparative politics and international affairs in Latin America, and how these countries relate to the rest of the world. Jorge I. Dominguez’s book Routledge Handbook of Latin America in the World provides readers with a guide on select Latin American countries’ political systems and their diplomatic relationships.

The Routledge Handbook of Latin America in the World does more than just explain the region’s political evolution in the 30 years proceeding its publication. In each section, it focuses on specific issues, social, economic, and diplomatic, impacting countries’ operations. Some examples include Argentina and Brazil’s domestic and global policy challenges, and the then-current state of countries’ relationships with specific external actors.

The Routledge Handbook of Latin America in the World contains essays written and or translated by several scholars in the field. Written to benefit academics, students, and researchers alike, the authors provide both theoretical and empirically-based insights. Edited by Dominguez and Ana Covarrubias, it was published in 2014.