古巴之發展困境與美國經濟禁運

The Cuban Dilemma in Development and the U.S. Economic Embargo

原本古巴革命意在脫離美國的政經掌控，然而觀諸古巴革命成功後發展的模式，也只是把對美國的依賴轉移到對蘇聯的依賴。職是之故，在東歐鉅變、蘇聯瓦解之後，古巴隨即陷入了經濟困境。雖然古巴在後冷戰時期已做了相當程度的改變，然而對內之市場經濟受限於社會主義理念，對外經濟開放又受制於美國的經濟禁運，卡斯楚卻仍然誓言率領他的子弟兵邁向社會主義的道路。而美國急欲將卡斯楚除之而後快的作法，不但傷及友邦的經貿利益和政治立場，也使得古巴飛彈危機後懸而未決的美古關係，在世紀末成為牽連甚廣的國際爭端。

Although escaping U.S. control was the original objective of the Cuban revolution, later transformations proved that Cuba did not achieve its purpose. The only change was that the USSR substituted for the U.S. as the new protectorate of Cuba. Thus, Cuba is now confronting a very grave economic crisis since the dramatic change in Eastern Europe and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Even though Cuba has made some economic reforms, with less ideological restraints governing the policy of a free market under the ever tightening U.S. embargo, Fidel Castro has insisted on the socialist path. While the United States is eager to eradicate Castro as soon as possible, it has taken measures that have not only hurt the commercial interests of their allied and foreign relations, but created a dispute in U.S.-Cuban relations that has received the attention of many countries.