BREAKDOWN

L.A. Times Article Link

1)      Headline: Moscow-Havana ties worry U.S.

a. (Deck, paper-version) Some officials see Russian statements as bluster, but others are concerned about a new Cuban alliance. (Deck, web version) Amid tensions over Georgia, Moscow has been signaling that it wants to restore its relationship with Havana that included military and intelligence cooperation.
 

b.      (Own words). Russia wants better relations with Cuba.
 

2)      Questions?
Why does Russia want better relations with Cuba? What would be the consequences of enhanced relations between the nations: to the U.S. and to the world? Does Cuba want better relations with Russia? If so, why? What does Georgia have to do with the decision?
 

3)      Who’s who?

Condoleezza Rice -- U.S. Secretary of State. The Secretary of State advises the President on U.S. foreign policy. Between 1989 and 1991 Rice was the Senior Director of Soviet and East European Affairs in the National Security Council.

Dmitry Medvedev -- President of Russia since May 2008. Medvedev succeeded Vladimir Putin who (in compliance with Russia's constitution) was barred from serving a third term as Russia's president. Many believe that Medvedev, who had been hand-picked by Putin to succeed him, would be a figurehead president with real power continuing to be wielded by Putin himself.

Vladimir Putin -- Russia's Prime Minister (head of Russia's government)

Raul Castro -- Cuba's President (Fidel Castro's brother) Since the 1950s, Raul Castro was Cuba's second-in-command after Fidel Castro serving as head of Cuba's armed forces. He was officially designated Fidel's successor in Oct. 1997 and "elected" to the post of president in February 2008. Some believe that Raul is more hard-line than his brother. Others believe that Cuba under Raul's command will become more modern and liberal.

NATO -- Members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (created in 1949) pledge to defend one another militarily if attacked by an outside party. Before 1991, the organization's primary adversary was the Soviet Union. After 1991, NATO membership extended to many "Eastern Bloc" nations (which were formerly under Soviet influence) among them, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Poland.
Founding members of NATO: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, U.K., U.S.

 

4)      Where is it?
 

 

5)      Back Story

Cold War: From the 1940s to the early 1990s the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR) engaged in a "cold war" (so-called because there was no "hot" or active fighting between the two nations). The conflict between the superpowers involved nations worldwide who were allied either with the democratic West (led by the U.S.) or the communists in the East (headed by the Russian-dominated Soviet Union).  

Cuba: During the Cold War, communist Cuba served as one of Russia's largest overseas bases. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Russian's were too weak to continue to support the island leading to great financial difficulties as Cuba worked to become self-sufficient. Cuba's economic status was aggravated by the continuing U.S. embargo on Cuba.

Cuban Missile Crisis: In 1962 the United States and the Soviet Union came to the brink of war when it was discovered that the Soviets had built missile bases in Cuba aiming nuclear weapons at the U.S. After negotiations between U.S. President John F. Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet's backed down. But the incident exposed America's vulnerability and deeply influenced U.S. foreign policy from that point forward.

Embargo: In the same year, the United States enacted an economic embargo against Cuba as punishment for confiscating property and corporations once owned by U.S. citizens. The embargo was reenacted and put into law in 1992 in hopes of pressuring the Cuban people to demand democratic reform. In 1996, Congress enacted the Helms-Burton Act forbidding American citizens from doing business with Cuba.

 

6)      Questions answered?

a. Why does Russia want better ties with Cuba? "U.S. officials believe Russia's statements are intended to dissuade the U.S. and its allies from moving the NATO alliance and military equipment (including missile defense sites), closer to the Russian border." "Russia's increasing reliance on its military is intended to remind the world of its power" (said U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice). American officials believe Russia is trying to show its muscle in order to stop the U.S. and its allies (joined in the NATO alliance) from moving closer to Russia's borders.)
"As it rebuilds forces that withered during the impoverished 1990s, Russia has been looking for new air and naval bases far from home." Russia is trying to rebuild its forces after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.

b. What does Georgia have to do with it? "Amid rising tensions over Georgia, U.S. officials are increasingly concerned that Russia is moving to rebuild one of the most dangerous features of the old Soviet Union's security structure -- its alliance with Cuba." "Condoleezza Rice criticized Russia's military advance into Georgia, a former Soviet republic, and its increasingly frequent patrols by long-range nuclear bombers in U.S.- and NATO-patrolled ocean lanes near northern Europe, Alaska and elsewhere." Russia's support for South Ossetia, which declared independence from Georgia, has led analysts to believe that Russia is trying to rebuild its empire by absorbing smaller regions on its borders. 
 

7)      Controversy?
a. Should the U.S. be concerned?

No: The move is just a threat (bluster):  "Russia can't afford to to return to the days of the Cold War. Russia only spends 2.7% of its gross domestic product on defense -- unlike the soviet Union which at the height of the Cold War spent 40%." "Since coming to office Raul Castro has generally avoided provoking the U.S., Castro would not want to be caught in the middle of the rekindled U.S.-Russian rivalry."

Yes: "Several Bush administration officials say they find the Cuba ties worrisome. Cuban intelligence activities pose a concern even without rekindled Russian ties." 

 

8)      Why is it news?
a. The world is carefully watching Russia in the wake of the war between Georgia (a former Soviet Republic) and Russia over South Ossetia.
b. Russia's presence in Cuba, less than 100 miles from America's southern coast, ignites memories of the Cold War that kept the world on alert for almost half a century.

9)    Why it matters to the United States

a. Cuba lies only 100 miles from Key West in Florida. During the Cold War, the island served as a base for the Soviet Union and nearly became the launching point for a nuclear attack by the Soviets on the United States (the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis).

b. Until 2001, the Russians operated a spy station in the abandoned Cuban city of Lourdes It's close proximity to Florida made it an ideal spot for picking up wireless communications in the U.S. and worldwide transmissions crossing through the U.S.

c. Russia has been seeking to rebuild its supremacy as a world power. Russia is one of eight nations* that are known to have nuclear weapons and could pose a threat to the United States if hostilities arose between the two nations.
 

12)  Future (what to look for)
a. How deep will relations between Russia and Cuba go?

 

13)  Vocabulary
a. Bluster:  To make loud, empty threats
 

14)  Summary

a.     Who? Russia

b.   What? Wants to restore economic and military relations with Cuba.

c. Why? In order to establish a base in the Western Hemisphere. To pressure the U.S. and its allies to stop moving NATO closer to Russia's borders.

d.   When? In July 2008 Russian P.M. Putin sent an aide to meet with Cuban President Raul Castro.

* The U.S., Russia, U.K, France, China, India, Pakistan and North Korea all have known nuclear weapons. Israel does not officially confirm or deny having a nuclear arsenal.