Cuba: The Revolution And The World

The Diplomats (1x2)

Fecha de emisión: Dic 03, 2019

Episode 2 tells the story of how Cuba struggled in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union, their main economic and political supporter. The massive decline in living standards triggered refugee crises, which played havoc with Cuba's already difficult relations with the US and forced the two enemies to negotiate for the first time one-on-one and officially. Infuriated, the Cuban Miami exiles stepped up their operations against what they thought was a weakened regime. But Cuba's robust self-­­defence killed 4 Americans and gave no choice to President Clinton but to sign a Congress bill that tightened even further the US embargo on the island. Castro had to find new friends and trading partners. He struck gold in Venezuela. The new President there, Hugo Chavez, was a long-time admirer. Cuba agreed to exchange medical aid for much-­­needed oil in what became known as Operation Milagro. This Operation not only helped Cuba's economy, it also won Cuba new allies across all of Latin America and paradoxically led to rapprochement with the US under the Obama administration. But with Trump in the White House and Raúl stepping down last April, Cuba's future remains unclear.