Scholarly Books Detailing Latin American-United States Relations

 

Jorge I. Domínguez was a professor at Harvard University from 1972 until his retirement in 2018. He also served as director of Harvard’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs for eleven years. He researched and taught the international relations of Latin America and the Caribbean, especially their relations with the United States.

 

He believed that research on the hemisphere’s international relations should be a shared effort between scholars in the United States, Latin American and Caribbean countries, and elsewhere. To support and develop this transnational scholarly community, he edited several books that paired scholars from various countries.

 

In the late 1990s, working closely with Dr. Rafael Fernández de Castro, he co-edited a series of twelve books on U.S.-Latin American Relations, which Routledge published. Nine examined U.S. relations with specific countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Chile, Mexico, Peru, and two on Venezuela. One author was a scholar from the Latin American country paired with a scholar from the United States or other countries. In two other cases, one was a scholar from the United States paired with a scholar from the Central American or the Caribbean region. The twelfth book gathered seven scholars from the United States with nine from Latin American countries to examine U.S.-Latin American Relations broadly.

 

The mutual respect, the shared accomplishments, and the many talents set a good example and produced splendid books.

 

 

 

CSI Continues to Experience Steep

Dr. Jorge I. Dominguez is an international relations scholar with 50 years of research and publishing experience. The author of numerous articles and co-editor of books on Cuba, Dr. Jorge I. Dominguez has been an astute observer of the island nation's political evolution and economic challenges, an ongoing one being the hits to its sugar industry.

Traditionally underpinning a major rum export industry, sugar was a significant driver of employment and economic development before and during Cuba’s communist rule. 1989 represented a high-water mark, with eight million metric tons of sugar produced. Unfortunately, production has steadily fallen; in 2021 this number hit 800,000 metric tons, their lowest since 1908.

Reasons for this precipitous drop, part of a continuing trend, include inept state enterprise management, insufficient incentives to improve productivity, a history of counterproductive government decisions, strict US trade sanctions that impair Cuba's access to international financing for irrigation and basic replacement parts and, more recently, the Covid-19 pandemic. This situation, which is systemic and cannot be remedied without major investment, may prove disastrous both for food self-sufficiency goals and the export economy. For 2022, the country has earmarked 500,000 metric tons of sugar for domestic consumption, while it expects to export 400,000 tons to China, as per longstanding trade arrangements. However, if production is even less than the 800,000 metric tons in 2021, there will be a major shortfall.

Mexico's Evolving Democracy

As a writer and publisher knowledgeable in Latin American political affairs, Jorge Dominguez has published many English and Spanish books on varying aspects of the region. In Mexico's Evolving Democracy: A Comparative Study of the 2012 Election (shortened to Mexico's Evolving Democracy), Jorge I. Dominguez, alongside Kenneth F. Greene, Chappell H. Lawson, and Alejandro Moreno, describes the factors that influenced Mexico’s 2012 election, and implications for the country’s political system.

The authors do not assume that readers of Mexico’s Evolving Democracy possess prior knowledge of the country’s political climate. In fact, the first two sections out of four explain Mexico’s political history, from the 1920s, when the Institutional Revolutionary Party first took power, to the end of the 2000s. The third section breaks down different voter demographics’ voting choices, integrating descriptions of candidates’ campaign strategies, pollsters’ methods, the nature of media coverage, and more. The last section presents possible implications of the election results for Mexico’s political system as a whole.

Dominguez, Greene, Lawson, and Moreno compiled Mexico’s Evolving Democracy with the assistance of fellow political scientists. Published by Johns Hopkins University Press, the book released in 2015.

Cuba - Order and Revolution

Jorge Dominguez is a Latin America scholar based in Center Harbor, New Hampshire. Jorge I. Dominguez is also an accomplished author of several books including Insurrection or Loyalty: The Breakdown of the Spanish American Empire, Enhancing Global Human Rights, and Cuba: Order and Revolution.

Published in 1978, Cuba: Order and Revolution delves into the history of 20th Century Cuba. The book is divided into three sections: Pre-revolutionary Cuba, Revolutionary Cuba: Governing through Centralization, and Political Processes and Change. In the book’s pages you’ll learn about Cuba from the time it got its independence in 1902, how it was governed by Presidents Gerardo Machado and Fulgencio Batista, and finally Fidel Castro’s revolution. You’ll also learn how groups like the Cuban Women’s Federation, Cuban Labor Confederation, student unions, and the Cuban military helped shape the country’s history.

Key events like the revolution led by Fidel Castro and its impact on Latin America and Africa, the Bay of Pigs invasion in April 1961, and the Cuban missile crisis in 1962 are also covered in depth in the book.

Facts about the Mexican Revolution

Jorge Dominguez attended Harvard University, where he earned his MA and PhD in political science. After receiving his PhD in 1972, Jorge I. Dominguez became a professor at Harvard, a job held for 46 years until his retirement in 2018. One of the courses Mr. Dominguez taught at Harvard was Mexico: Revolution, Authoritarianism, and Democracy: 100 Years.

The Mexican Revolution took place from 1910 to 1920. It was a major revolution that included several armed struggles that sought to bring an end to dictatorship in Mexico and introduce democracy. In addition to opposition to President Porfirio Diaz's 30 years of dictatorship, other causes of the Mexican Revolution were the exploitation and poor treatment of workers and a large disparity between the rich and poor in Mexico.

Key leaders of the Mexican Revolution were Francisco Madero, Emiliano Zapata, Pancho Villa, and Pascual Orozco. By 1917, some of the reforms the revolutionaries were seeking had been achieved, but fighting continued periodically until 1930. Mexicans commemorate the Mexican Revolution, officially known as Dia de la Revolucion, on November 20th each year.

U.S.-Cuba Policy Likely to Shift

With a background as a professor and chair of the Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies, Dr. Jorge I. Dominguez has a longstanding research focus on Latin America. An area of particular emphasis for Dr. Jorge Dominguez has been assessing Cuban’s economic, trade, and political challenges under Communist rule.

With the incoming Biden administration, U.S.-Cuba policy has reached a pivotal point that is likely define bilateral relations for the next several years. As reported in the Tampa Bay Times, the past decade has been one of blinding policy shifts, with President Barack Obama working to normalize relations through direct commercial flights and cruise line visits to Cuban ports, as well as scientific and art collaborations and exchanges.

The Trump administration rolled back that detente through a raft of new sanctions and travel restrictions, including a late move for Cuba’s inclusion on the list of states that sponsor terrorism. One economically impactful action involved sanctions on Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba.

With many questions unanswered, the Biden administration seems likely to tread a middle ground. Some level of research and cultural exchange will potentially return and the U.S. may seek to expand its embassy presence in Havana again. At the same time, Biden is likely to push for increased political diversity, countering the one-party system, and greater compliance with humanitarian rules.  

A Look at The Big Idea from the Harvard Business Review

Jorge I. Dominguez is from Center Harbor, New Hampshire, and had a varied career at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for over 40 years. Throughout this period, Jorge Dominguez had numerous articles and papers published, including with the Harvard Business Review (HBR), which has adopted The Big Idea to bring current issues to light.

HBR was first established in 1922 by the dean of the Harvard Business School for the purpose of assisting management students by giving them the information and tools they needed to succeed. For nearly a hundred years, HBR has covered important issues across industries and countries and has earned a reputation as a dynamic and thought-provoking publication.

Described as “the eventification of an article,” The Big Idea was brought into play more than ten years ago as a way to start moving into the digital era, and also keep readers entertained and informed between the bi-monthly issues of the review. HBR provides access to The Big Idea on all channels, thus allowing readers to explore the current topic on their favorite digital platform. This can consist of written articles, podcasts, and videos, and has covered issues such as problems for working parents, climate change, and gender equality, among others. 

Donald Trump Captures Florida’s Hispanic Vote

Jorge I. Dominguez spent nine years as vice provost for international affairs at Harvard University. Promoting and supporting work on international topics in this capacity, he represented Harvard worldwide with other universities, governments, and alumni. In addition to his teaching and administrative work, Jorge Dominguez earned a lifetime academic achievement award in the Cuba Section of the Latin American Studies Association in 2010.

Cuban Americans in Florida’s Miami-Dade County gave Republican candidate and incumbent president Donald Trump the largest number of votes the Republican Party has received from that group in 16 years, when George W. Bush was elected to a second term in 2004. While many were surprised at this result, some poll-watchers felt that it could have been seen coming for several reasons.

Many Cuban Americans have traditionally supported the Republicans due to their strong stance against Cuban leader Fidel Castro after Kennedy’s failed invasion at the Bay of Pigs in the early 1960s. In more recent times, just prior to leaving office in January 2016, Democratic president Barack Obama stopped enforcing the presidential discretion in the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966 that had afforded Cubans privileged immigration status; that left thousands of Cuban immigrants hoping to reach America stranded in Central America and Mexico while feeling betrayed.

There are also current issues that had an impact on increasing the Cuban American vote for Republicans. The alleged acceptance of socialism by Democrats also left many Cuban Americans feeling more aligned with Republican ideals.

The end result was nearly 200,000 more Hispanic votes for the Republican candidate than in the previous election of 2016.

 

Cuban Physicians Abroad Face Lack of Pay During Pandemic

Having served as Antonio Madero Professor for the Study of Mexico at Harvard University, Dr. Jorge I. Domínguez also had a research emphasis on Cuban politics and society. Dr. Jorge I. Domínguez continues to maintain a strong interest in developments in the Communist island nation during a time of pandemic and increased economic hardship.

The export of medical support and knowledge is a key hard currency earner for Cuba, but a recent article in the Miami Herald brought attention to a claim by several Cuban physicians working in Algeria that they had not received pay since March. This came just after Algeria made public that it pays $70 million to Cuba each year for the services of nearly 900 doctors, which amounts to $79,000 annually for each physician procured.

Of this amount, physicians receive approximately $900 a month, with $350 directly deposited into their Cuban bank accounts and the rest disbursed to the Cuban government in Algerian dinars. According to one physician, Cuba states as a reason for this the need to make investments in education and health. Though the physicians endure crowded conditions and have restricted movements while abroad, they largely accept this arrangement for the sake of their families. Their own earnings in hard-currency exceed the payments they would have received while working in Cuba. Thus, such service can be financially beneficial for the health-care personnel serving abroad even if they only receive a small fraction of what Algeria pays Cuba for their services.

Algeria has had a medical services provision arrangement with Cuba since the 1960s, but Cuban physicians recently expressed surprise at learning how much was actually paid for their services. The current situation, with no payments coming from a Cuban government strapped for cash, means that in many cases the physicians are simply subsisting on the food the hospitals provide them.

Routledge’s United States and Mexico: Between Partnership and Conflict

A Harvard professor for more than 45 years, Jorge I Dominguez also holds both a master of arts and a doctorate in political science from the esteemed university. An expert on the internal policies and international relations of Mexico and Cuba, Jorge Dominguez has written widely on related subjects.

One of his books is The United States and Mexico: Between Partnership and Conflict. Co-authored with R. Fernández de Castron, this book begins in the early 1800s and chronicles conflicts between the US and Mexico through the modern era. Routledge first published The United States and Mexico as part of its Contemporary Inter-American Relations series in 2001. The book is currently in its second edition from 2009.

Taking a complex and in-depth look at US/Mexico relations over the decades, The United States and Mexico highlights the vital trade partnership and close relationship between two countries that share one of the longest continuous land boarders in the world. It also examines their frequently tense migration relations, as well as problematic issues such as drug trafficking, trade agreements, and various economic/environmental concerns.

Mexico’s President Moves to Increase Mexico’s Minimum Wage

A former professor at Harvard University, Dr. Jorge I. Dominguez also served as Antonio Madero Professor for the Study of Mexico. Focused on economic and trade trends, Dr. Jorge I. Dominguez continues to maintain a strong interest in developments in Mexico.

A recent Forbes article drew attention to a second recent move by president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to increase the minimum wage, this time by 20 percent. The aim is to address persistent inequalities. Despite Mexico’s economic transformation over the past three decades, in which manufacturing and exports have soared and investment has been made in areas such as automotive, electronics, and aerospace, wages are among the lowest in the OECD.

Unlike most industrial countries, Mexico still has a minimum wage that is extremely low relative to the overall economy. With the average minimum wage worker earning just $2,000 in 2018, this has allowed the country to compete with countries such as China when it comes to labor intensive, low productivity jobs. Unfortunately, a corollary impact has been a stunted market for services and goods domestically.

The new minimum wage for 2020 is 123.22 pesos per day (approximately $6.50), which if properly enforced will raise wages for approximately 10 million Mexicans.

A major issue is that many Mexican workers have informal employment with family-run businesses and receive cash salaries that are not officially reported. This may prevent the move from having its intended effect in generating broad improvements for a large segment of the population. It also remains to be seen whether the minimum wage hike will dampen activity in the formal employment sector or increase inflation.

China Moves to Boost Investment and Trade Presence in South America

Shipping containers
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With a background as a past professor and researcher at Harvard University, Dr. Jorge I. Dominguez has long focused on the economics and policies of Latin America. Maintaining a close watch on current trends, Dr. Jorge I. Dominguez has a strong interest in the region’s changing relationship with China.

As highlighted in a recent U.S. News and World Report article, China’s presence across Latin America has witnessed a rapid expansion over the past two decades, with annual trade growing from $12 billion to more than $300 billion. A shift has also occurred in which China is not simply seeking raw materials across the region, but taking an active role in infrastructure and other investment projects.

This reflects a reality in which Chinese money comes without often onerous IMF and World Bank restrictions, as well as a diminishing US presence throughout the region. This has accelerated with the current US administration, which is perceived as being most interested in working to build walls and trade barriers, while reducing foreign aid. China has deftly stepped in to fill this leadership vacuum.

A Layman’s Look at Collective Security

Jorge Dominguez currently focuses on his work in comparative politics and international relations in Latin America. Until his retirement in 2018, he served Harvard University since 1972 as a professor as well as director and chair of various departments. Among Jorge Dominguez's achievements is his involvement in the World Peace Foundation as a member of the Steering Committee for the project on Collective Securities in the Americas.

Collective security is the term used for different states' collective efforts to attempt to prevent or mitigate wars. The expression was first coined in the 1930s. In a collective security arrangement, the security of every member state becomes a concern for all member states. As a result, all member states act together to deal with the threat.

Collective security is considered to be the most viable approach in order to achieve international peace, as it is designed to protect not just one state but all states part of the agreement. The United Nations and League of Nations were both founded on the collective security principle.

What Does the Inter-American Dialogue Do

Jorge Dominguez has actively worked in international relations, focusing on Latin American affairs. With an extensive professional background, Jorge Dominguez also became a member of the Inter-American Dialogue from 1983 to 2018.

For over 30 years, the Inter-American Dialogue has continuously been involved in shaping policy debate, devising solutions, and encouraging cooperation among states in the Western Hemisphere. 

The Inter-American Dialogue is made up of more than 100 distinguished professionals and citizens from the United States and Canada, as well as Latin American, European, and Caribbean countries and states. These members actively participate in the organization’s work through advancing debate and sharing information. 

Based in Washington, DC, Inter-American Dialogue takes pride in its reach, influence, and quality of analysis. It partners with premier institutions around the world in various areas crucial to development including energy, education, migration, and rule of law, among others. 

As a network of global leaders, the Inter-American Dialogue engages its members to drive democracy, social equity, and prosperity, particularly among the Caribbean and Latin American states.

The Ladies in White - A Group Focused on Freedom of Conscience

A scholar expert in recent Latin American history and politics, Jorge Dominguez, PhD, served for 12 years as the Antonio Madero Professor for the Study of Mexico at Harvard University. He is the author or editor of scores of articles, book chapters, and books in his field. In addition to Mexico, Dr. Jorge Dominguez maintains a strong research interest in Cuba.

In May 2016, Latin America Advisor published a dialogue including Dr. Dominguez and other experts on the subject of United States President Barack Obama’s historic visit to Cuba. In the course of the conversation, Dr. Dominguez mentioned how the president had called Cuba’s denial of human rights to the world’s attention. In particular, President Obama met with dissidents, among them the “Ladies in White.”

These “Damas de Blanco” have spent a decade and a half protesting the detention of the country’s political prisoners in a quietly pointed way. Every Sunday, dressed all in white, they leave Havana’s Santa Rita Church and march through the streets as a living symbol of innocence and of the freedom denied their countrymen.

In 2005, the Ladies in White received the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, given annually to reflect the values of the late Russian dissident Andrey Sakharov. It took eight years, but in 2013, the Cuban regime at last allowed these women to travel to Brussels to claim their award.

Catholic Church Gradually Recovers Influence in Cuba

A tenured Harvard University professor, Jorge Dominguez provided academic leadership as director of the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard. Knowledgeable about the complex relationship between Cuba’s Catholic Church and Communist government, Jorge Dominguez moderated a John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum that focused on the topic in 2013. 

As reported last year in National Catholic Reporter Online, the Cuban Catholic Church is gradually recovering from decades of repression, which began with Fidel Castro’s taking power in 1959 and resulted in the expulsion or imprisonment of thousands of lay leaders and priests, as well as nationalization of Catholic schools. For many years, practicing Catholics could not take on leadership roles, and were excluded from the Communist Party.

With tens of thousands of Catholics fleeing, a pivotal moment of re-evaluation came in 1986. The National Encounter of the Catholic Church (ENEC) found that only 200 Catholic priests remained ministering in Cuba and less than two percent of the population attended Mass regularly. This led to a renewed commitment to the churches’ missionary role and in 1992 Cuba was classified as a secular, “but no longer atheist,” state. 

John Paul II made a groundbreaking visit to the country in 1998 that further reinvigorated the Catholic Church. Most recently, Pope Francis visited Cuba, which opened new doors, including priests in the United States being able to temporarily visit the country and minister. With approximately 350 priests practicing in Cuba today, about 60 percent of Cubans describe themselves as Catholic and 10 percent attend church regularly. A major lynchpin of change has been the Cuban-American community, with recent funding going to church-organized entrepreneurship training programs and the first new Catholic church built in the island country in 60 years.

Cuba Struggles to Diversify and Open its Economy

A Harvard University professor for many years, Jorge Dominguez served as chair of the Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies. With a research focus on Cuba, Jorge Dominguez talked in-depth with Readara on a volume he co-edited, The Cuban Economy in a New Era: An Agenda for Change toward Durable Development (David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, Series on Latin American Studies 33).

Describing a background of international financial crisis that compelled president Raul Castro to liberalize Cuba’s economy, Dr. Dominguez noted import-dependent Cuba has still not developed an international exports initiative. 

A past international strategy was to export services such as health care professionals to other countries. Unfortunately, unlike a decade earlier, when Venezuela was a major partner in services traded for petroleum, these deals with countries such as Kenya are relatively small today. 

Another revenue-generating avenue has been tourism, with more facilities opened and an agreement made during the last two years of the Obama administration that generated significant tourism from the United States. In 2017 alone, approximately 600,000 US tourists visited Cuba. 

However, these numbers have dropped, and Cuba has tried to attract more European, Latin American, and Canadian travelers. Unfortunately, the “sun and beach” tourists Cuba attracts tend to be those who take lower-end package tours.

Cuba’s Losing Gamble on a Barter Trade Relationship With Venezuela

Professor emeritus at Harvard University, Jorge Dominguez most recently held the position of Antonio Madero Professor for the Study of Mexico. Focused on researching Latin American domestic and international politics, Jorge Dominguez co-edited The Cuban Economy in a New Era: An Agenda for Change toward Durable Development (David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, Series on Latin American Studies 33).

In a recent Readara interview, Dr. Domínguez spoke of the background of the book as being a political situation that evolved when Fidel Castro became extremely sick in 2006 and his brother Raul Castro took on a position as acting president. With Fidel remaining in poor health until his death a decade later, Raul Castro formally became president in early 2008. 

Unfortunately, the brother inherited what Dr. Domínguez describes as Fidel Castro’s “last gambit in economic policy,” involving a close “solidarity relationship” alliance with Hugo Chavez, president of Venezuela at that time. 

The foundation of this was barter trade, which relies on goods and services being exchanged, rather than cash instruments. Venezuela provided petroleum to Cuba at a major discount, while Cuba provided services, particularly health care personnel. This created a boom in the Cuban economy from 2002 to 2007, but ultimately succumbed to a worldwide petroleum price collapse, as the international financial crisis hit. Raul Castro took the reins at exactly the moment that Cuba was bearing the full weight of this economic uncertainty.