Considering everything that’s going on in and around the South China Sea between China and U.S. Naval powers concerning Taiwan, the question of the day is: can the possibility of China constructing a military base in Cuba be considered a provocation to the United States? Well on one hand yes and the other no. The United States may view the possibility of a Chinese Military Base within Cuba as a threat to not only U.S. interests but U.S. National Security. This is a well-founded claim on behalf of the United States as Florida is roughly 90 miles from the island nation of Cuba.
However, on the other hand, it may not be an intentional provocation because Cuba, like any other country in the world, must look out for its own best interest as well – especially its economic interest. If you can remember or know anything about the Cuban Missile Crisis that occurred during the Robert F. Kennedy Administration, the United States heavily opposed any Russian nuclear missiles in the country of Cuba. Combined that issue with the seemingly forever sanctions placed on Cuba by the United States, which nearly destroyed the Cuban economy thus, adversely impacting the social wellbeing of the country over the time span of many decades. Right now, could be considered one of the best times for Cuba to defy the sanctions placed on them by the United States.
There are at least three ways in which the possible building of a Chinese Military Base will positively affect the country of Cuba. The first would be the boosting of the businesses in their country and their economy. This is important to know that the exchange rate is roughly 24 Cuban Peso to 1 U.S. Dollar. This is a steep dive when compared to 3.32 Cuban Peso to 1 Chinese Yuan as of the date of this article. Secondly, it would allow both current and new Chinese Technology to be acquired and used by the people in Cuba, thus leading to the third basic reason as to why a Chinese Military Base may prove to be favorable to Cuba is that it will lead to massive infrastructure upgrade that will greatly benefit the people of Cuba.
Again, articulating the Cuban position to the United States, the clichés of “what have you done for me lately?” and “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” comes to mind. Things that may possibly satisfy the Chinese interest is gaining a new ally on the world economic stage and they get to position themselves to be taken seriously as a military power to the United States. Moreover, the Chinese obtain the ability to export and expand their military influence on the western side of the world.
This is something that the United States would balk at since it challenges the Monroe Doctrine of 1823, which has been used by every American President since its conception as a justification from keeping any foreign power from establishing a significant military presence and possibly becoming a threat in the western hemisphere in opposition to the U.S. since the James Monroe Administration.
The world is changing. The question is: is America ready for that change?
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