In March 2024, Cuba experienced significant unrest as citizens protested food shortages and surging energy costs. As it sought emergency aid from the United Nations, Havana accused the United States of inciting the protests, a charge Washington categorically denies. This tension has underscored the historic antagonism between the two nations. While the U.S. imposed strict sanctions on Cuba sixty years ago and still criticises its single-party system and human rights record, Cuba resists what it sees as American hegemony and maintains its communist ethos. But are things about to change?

Having been a Spanish colony, Cuba gained independence in 1902 after the Spanish-American War. Following decades of instability, it came under the control of a military dictator, Fulgencio Batista, in the early 1950s. This prompted the Cuban Revolution, led by Fidel Castro and his brother Raul. Following the seizure of American assets on the island, Washington imposed tough sanctions on Cuba. Taking place against the backdrop of the Cold War, this pushed Cuba towards closer ties to the Soviet Union, which in turn sparked the Cuban Missile Crisis. However, as the USSR collapsed in 1991, Cuba faced a profound economic crisis. Despite this, it remained under one-party community rule. However, while the embargo remained, relations started improving under President Obama before deteriorating again under Donald Trump. However, as the Biden Administration has introduced some new steps to ease relations, new tensions have emerged as Cuba faces a new economic crisis that has forced it to approach the United Nations World Food Programme. This has led to demonstrations on the island. But as Havana and Washington trade accusations over the recent unrest, the world watches to see whether this marks a tipping point for the communist regime or just another chapter in Cuba's long history of tensions with the United States.

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*VIDEO CHAPTERS*
00:00 Introduction and Titles
00:47 The Complex Cuba-US Relationship
01:48 Cuba: Location and Population
02:37 A Short History of Cuba
03:46 Cuba after Independence, 1902-1959
05:20 Cuba-US Relations during the Cold War
06:32 Cuban-American Relations after the Cold War
08:02 US-Cuba Under Obama and Trump
09:22 Renewed Tensions in US-Cuba Relations
10:38 US-Cuban Relations and the March 2024 Protests
12:27 The Future of US-Cuban Relations

*SOURCES AND FURTHER READING*
Ministry of Foreign Affairs | Republic of Cuba
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CUBA | US State Department
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Platt Amendment | US National Archives
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President Obama Speech on Cuba | 17 December 2014https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyw1iKif9Zs
President Trump Speech on Cuba | 19 June 2017
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