Democracy Delayed: The Case of Castro's Cuba

by Juan J. López

Overview

With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, foreign policy analysts and international relations scholars expected communist Cuba to undergo transitions to democracy and to markets as had the Eastern European nations of the former Soviet bloc. But more than a decade after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Castro remains in power, with no sign that the Cuban government or economy is moving toward liberalization. In Democracy Delayed, political scientist Juan López offers a searching and detailed analysis of the factors behind Cuba's failure to liberalize.

López begins by comparing the political systems of three Eastern European states—the former German Democratic Republic, Czechoslovakia, and Romania—with that of Cuba, in order to identify the differences that have allowed Castro to maintain his hold over the government and the economy. López also shows the various conditions promoting change, including the development of civil society groups in Cuba, and discusses why some U.S. policies help the possibility of democratization in Cuba while others hinder it. While the Catholic Church in Poland and the Protestant Church in East Germany fostered change, the Catholic Church in Cuba has not taken a defiant stance against authoritarianism but seems instead to be biding its time until Castro is out of the picture. In conclusion, López argues that a political transition in Cuba is possible even under the government of Fidel Castro. Some necessary conditions have been missing, but it is possible that U.S. policies could lay the groundwork for democratic charge.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801877728
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	05/22/2003
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Juan J. López is an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science of the University of Illinois at Chicago and a research associate at the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies in the School of International Studies of the University of Miami.

Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. The Castro Regime and Political Transition
2. Civil Society and Repression
3. Political Efficacy and Independent Communication
4. Assistance to Civil Society
5. U.S. Policies toward CubaThe Economic EmbargoConclusionsNotes
References
Index

What People are Saying About This

Juan M. del Aguila

An important contribution to debates on transitions to democracy, the uniqueness of the Cuban case, and on how external actors, including the United States, can effect political change in still another instance of a failed communist system.

Jaime Suchlicki

An excellent comparative study drawing lessons from transitions in Eastern Europe. A must for anyone interested in U.S. policy toward Cuba and on the island's future.

From the Publisher

An excellent comparative study drawing lessons from transitions in Eastern Europe. A must for anyone interested in U.S. policy toward Cuba and on the island's future.
—Jaime Suchlicki, Emilio Bacardí Moreau Professor, University of Miami

An important contribution to debates on transitions to democracy, the uniqueness of the Cuban case, and on how external actors, including the United States, can effect political change in still another instance of a failed communist system.
—Juan M. del Aguila, Emory University

Editorial Reviews

Juan López makes an intriguing comparative study here between Cuba and three Eastern European states in order to investigate what lies behind Cuba's 'failure to liberalize.'
—British Bulletin of Publications on Latin America, the Caribbean, Portugal, and Spain

A stimulating contribution to the literature on transition and a substantial and up-to-date analysis of the workings of the Communist regime in Cuba.
—Primo Vannicelli, Perspectives on Political Science

At his best, [Lopez] describes well trends in the Cuban dissident community and in the politics of their relations with Cuban exiles.
—Jorge I. Domínguez, Political Science Quarterly

From the Publisher

Juan López makes an intriguing comparative study here between Cuba and three Eastern European states in order to investigate what lies behind Cuba's 'failure to liberalize.'

British Bulletin of Publications on Latin America

A stimulating contribution to the literature on transition and a substantial and up-to-date analysis of the workings of the Communist regime in Cuba.

Perspectives on Political Science - Primo Vannicelli

At his best, [Lopez] describes well trends in the Cuban dissident community and in the politics of their relations with Cuban exiles.

Political Science Quarterly - Jorge I. Domínguez

"At his best, [Lopez] describes well trends in the Cuban dissident community and in the politics of their relations with Cuban exiles."

Political Science Quarterly - Jorge I. Domínguez