ABSTRACT
In 1989, Fidel Castro marked his thirtieth year at the head of Cuba's government, and the United States inaugurated the eighth president to hold office since Cuban revolutionaries overthrew Fulgencio Batista's government. This chapter focuses on the objective interests as well as the values in conflict, and on the legacy of mistrust between the governments. It examines some issues on which negotiations might be fruitful. The United States has also objected to the U.S.S.R.'s use of Cuban territory to gather intelligence about the United States. Cuba considers its relations with the U.S.S.R. to be a guarantee of its own national security in the face of US hostility. A strategy to improve US-Cuban relations must begin by understanding the legacy of mistrust. The Ronald Reagan administration put to the test whether punitive US policies would change Cuba's behavior. The chapter concludes with a speculative look at possible long-term results.
