RPP #4: Article Summary
In “A Perfect Impasse? Cuba’s Move Towards the Market and the United States Move Towards Cuba,” written by Stephen Wilkinson, the author attempts to answer the question: why has the thawing of U.S.-Cuba relations not yet had any effect on Cuba’s one-party system? Wilkerson argues that without lifting the economic sanctions on Cuba, Cuba will continue to be a one-party system. Inversely he also argues that the U.S. is not likely to end economic sanctions while Cuba is a one-party system. [1] Ultimately, he is claiming that the two countries are in an unbreakable impasse.
The author performs a historical analysis of the Cuba embargo and attempts to quantify the effectiveness of the U.S. goals by examining the Cuban economy throughout the years. He is clearly using a positivist model as he is basing his argument of GDP growth of Cuba. He also examines the goals of U.S. foreign policy by citing American legislation, and finds that U.S. foreign policies towards Cuba can be classified into two different ends: Overthrow the Government and Containment.[2] The author concludes that the Cuban economy has become more liberal through economic reforms because of the embargo, but it has not changed its one-party system because of the Castro regimes historical influence on Cuba’s government.
[1] Stephen Wilkinson. “A Perfect Impasse? Cuba’s Move Towards the Market and the United States’ Move Towards Cuba,” Economic Affairs 37, no. 1 (February 2017): 20. accessed September 26, 2017.
[2] Ibid, 28.
Luis — you’ve found an article that is clearly relevant to your research topic, and that is great. You note that this piece of research departs from (neo)positiivst assumptions, and that sounds right. However, remember that the neopositivist distinction is based on the *type* of knowledge being generated (patterns/theories/laws via hypothesis testing vs. contextual knowledge about meanings and the construction of meaning), not on the type of data used. What is the specific DV being examined? What specific IV(s)? What hypotheses are tested? Make sure to focus on these kinds of specific research concepts that we have covered as you read scholarship for your literature review.
One writing/formatting note: remember that you need a footnote citation at the end of each sentence in which you reference the work of another (so even in a summary of a single article, more thorough referencing is needed).