U.S.-Cuba relations: How do the scholars see them?

HAVANA — Ever since Presidents Raúl Castro and Barack Obama spoke on Dec. 17, 2014, about restoring diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States, a flood of opinions, concerns, hopes, wishes, questions and worries has circulated through e-mails, statements, reports, opinion articles, posters and interviews.

The academic circles of both countries have probably been those which, with greater depth and specificity, have delved into the challenges posed to our nations by the intention of moving toward a process of normalization of relations in spite of — and because of — our long history of confrontation, conflict and disproportion.

Not surprisingly, a few days after 17D (as Dec. 17 is referred to by Cubans), the Cuban magazine “Temas” began to public in its blog “Catalejo” (Spyglass) the answers given by a group of Cuban and U.S. researchers to a questionnaire prepared by its editorial board. The reactions appeared in three installments in Spanish and English, beginning on Jan. 5, 2015.

Some weeks ago, American University joined this task to provide — from years of research experience — a complex and to a certain point global view of the phenomenon. In its website, AU began to publish a series of essays written by Cuban and U.S. researchers who, from different political trends and various thematic angles within social sciences, attempted to broach some of the many aspects that have influenced and will influence the future of relations between the United States and Cuba.

Under the title of “Implications of Normalization: Scholarly Perspectives on U.S.-Cuban Relations,” the articles were coordinated, selected and edited by Eric Hershberg and William LeoGrande, supported by the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies at American University and the Social Science Research Council’s Cuba Program.

In what appears to be a trend toward the need to debate the issue, on April 22, the Cuban Center for Hemispheric and U.S. Studies (CEHSEU), as part of a research program that has developed over the years, will begin a series of theoretical meetings at ALBA House in Havana, with the panel “The Cuba-U.S. Conflict and Hemispheric Dynamics: From Playa Girón to the 7th Summit of the Americas.”

Let us hope that this need to “look” and visualize the long road still ahead may be a lot more than just a one-time academic effort.

Below are some of the works published in the website of American University. They can all be accessed by clicking here:

Holly Ackerman: “Post-D-17 and Processes of Cuban National Reconciliation“

The announcements by Presidents Castro and Obama on December 17 (D17) produced a torrent of media coverage and academic analysis that, understandably, centered on diplomatic negotiations. This article examines a less discussed but equally important theme: reconciliation among Cubans.

Frederick Z. Brown: “Cuba, Vietnam, and ‘Normalization'”

On Dec. 17, 2014, Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro agreed to normalize relations between the United States and Cuba. On Jan. 1, 2015, Vietnam began to celebrate the twentieth anniversary (1995-2015) of normalized political relations with the United States. This essay focuses on the process of normalization of U.S.-Vietnam relations. It offers a brief account of the differences and similitudes in the process of normalization between Cuba and Vietnam.

William M. LeoGrande: “The End of the Bogeyman: The Political Repercussions of the U.S.-Cuban Rapprochement“

Although the normalization of relations with the United States is still at its earliest stages, the jubilant reaction of the Cuban population to the Dec. 17 announcements clearly indicates that they interpret the new opening as having ended the Cold War in the Caribbean. Without the U.S. threat, will national unity be harder to maintain? Will the public be less willing to accept constraints on political liberties in the name of national security?

Andrés Serbin: “Onstage or Backstage?: Latin America and U.S.-Cuban Relations”

The announcement may have come as a surprise for Cuba’s closest ally in the region but was long desired by the hemispheric governments. Even though the U.S.-Cuban bilateral talks started in December 2014 after a year of secret interventions, a key pending question is whether Latin American and Caribbean governments contributed in any way to this dialogue, given their increasing autonomy from the United States and the rapidly changing hemispheric relations.