ABSTRACT
Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is especially attractive to Cuba on political and economic grounds. The stage on which Cuba must conduct its foreign affairs in the post-Cold War world presents significant contextual changes. The main foreign policy issue facing the island's government is how to redefine its international relations within a new setting, without abandoning a minimal ideological and practical commitment to socialism. The new look of Cuba's international relations features economic pragmatism. The intensified search for trading partners has been the driving force behind the diplomatic offensive since the end of the Soviet aid and trade regime in 1991. The Caribbean has become Cuba's primary target of diplomatic opportunity. For Caribbean nations, Cuba's re-incorporation into the region poses serious questions of competition as well as opportunities for collaboration. The Caribbean is concerned that political changes in Cuba would attract substantial tourism, trade, investments, and financial aid from the United States, which could be detrimental to the rest of the Caribbean.
