The Spirit of the Sierra Maestra

Five Observations on Writing about Cuban Foreign Policy

Bibliographic Data

ID6411550
AuthorsTony Smith (0000-0001-6420-8183, Tufts University, corresponding author)
Year1988
Volume41
Issue1
Pages98-119
Publication date1988-10-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueWorld Politics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0043-8871 • E-ISSN: 1086-3338
PublisherProject MUSE (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2307/2010481
OpenAlexW2099065496
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited22

For a variety of reasons, explanations of Cuban foreign policy lack in persuasiveness. Some authors adopt a kitchen-sink approach in which any number of factors are adduced to explain Cuban behavior, but they do not pay adequate attention to how these various pieces fit together into a coherent whole. Other writers concentrate on a single factor to explain Cuba's globalism, but in the process load more explanatory power than it can bear onto a sole variable. Still others have a penchant for prescribing proper foreign policy for the United States, with the result that the study of Cuban policy in its own terms is often shortchanged. Only by studying the character, world view, and charismatic influence of Fidel Castro can a center of gravity be found for the study of Cuban foreign policy

Character (mathematics · Charisma · Economics · Epistemology · Explanatory power · Foreign policy · Globalism · Globalization · Market economy · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Power (physics · Variety (cybernetics · Cuban History and Society · Law · Philosophy · Political and Social Dynamics in Chile and Latin America

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub