Political Science 221, Latin American Politics Fall Term 2008

Session 7: Cuba, the Caribbean, and Central America

I. Are the small states of Latin America hopelessly dependent?

A. Structural Constraints on the "Small States" of Latin America: The Cuban Case

B. How "Small States" Cope in a World of "Great Powers" (graphic)

C. How Hegemonic is the U.S. over the "Small States" of Latin America?

1) The Pattern of U.S. Policy in Succession Crises (graphic)

2) Assessing U.S. Influence: The Outcomes of Succession Crises (graphic)

3) The Limitations of U.S. Policy Options (graphic)

D. American Foreign Policy in Latin America: Evidence from Two Administrations

1) Carter

a) General goals

b) Specific goals

c) Assessments

2) Reagan

a) General goals

b) Specific goals

c) Assessments

3) Lessons

II. Is revolution a way out of dependency?

Simulation #2: The Island Revolution Scenario

III. Can the U.S. play a productive role in the Latin American small states?

Key Concepts: structural causes; hegemony; positive and negative sanctions; succession crises; the middle sector; "democracy by pressure"; multilaterialism; human rights; the Reagan Doctrine; "quiet diplomacy"; unilateralism; the Contadora process; the Boland Amendment; the Iran-Contra Affair; democracy by centrist transition; democracy by force; democracy by applause; democracy by pressure; the Kissinger Commission.

Key Individuals: Fidel Castro; Jacobo Arbenz; Anastasio Somoza; Henry Kissinger; Jeane Kirkpatrick; Alexander Haig; William Casey (CIA); Richard Allen; William Clark; George Shultz; Oscar Arias; José Napoleón Duarte; Maurice Bishop and the New Jewel Movement; General Manuel Antonio Noreiga.