Skliarenko O. U. S. Cuban Policy: Formation and the Main Principles (early 1990's - 2008).

O. Skliarenko's Ph. D. thesis is dedicated to the study of the US policy towards Cuba in post bipolar period. Relying on the broad scope of sources, the author studies the US Cuban policy from the early 1990's to 2008. Relations between a great power and its weaker neighbor were always complicated. Being a Spanish colony in 19th century, Cuba viewed Washington as a democratic state-guardian of the less developed nations that could help to obtain independence and help to build a new country. The USA looked on the island as a crucial geopolitical piece in the Caribbean Basin. Washington's Cuban policy was made first hand out of the economic concerns of U.S. investors with security concerns being secondary. From 1961 to 1991, U.S. policy makers focused on Cuba as the Communist threat in the hemisphere and accused the regime of F. Castro of exporting revolution in Latin America and the Third World. Since the end of the Cold War relations between two countries remained hostile. Cuba lost great support from Soviet Union and was no longer a national security threat. But this fact didn't change the US policy. On a dramatic attempt to develop pressure on Washington and call attention to embargo, Cuba staged mass influxes of its emigre's to the United States. The unmanageable refugee problem posed a threat to law and order in the Unitetd States, created the field for bilateral cooperation but did not bring substantial changes into bilateral relations. Meantime the force that shaped the line toward Habana was Cuban emigre community with its main lobbyist the Cuban-American National Foundation which fiercely opposed any possible normalization. Cuban Americans won serious support of White House during President G. W. Bush's administration but didn't achieve their main goal - a transition to democracy in Cuba. The turning points, moving forces, conceptual foundation and ambiguities of the B. Clinton's and G. W. Bush's Cuban policy are in the centre of the scholarly analysis. The author arrives to the conclusion that Cuban policy of these two administrations had a lot in common as well as demonstrated different approaches.