Answer

• Terrorism and Cuba

  Introduction

  In 1992, Cuba was cited as a State Sponsor of Terrorism. One of the reasons for this designation is the country’s history of becoming a safe haven for both individual terrorists and guerrilla groups (Rennack & Sullivan, 2015). The country has historically been accused of advising, communicating, training, and providing financial support to terror groups. Cuba’s history of terrorism underscores the importance of adopting a policy to stop the trends of terror in the country. This paper provides a discussion of the issue of terror in Cuba, including the root causes, theoretical underpinnings, and data on the same.

  Background Research and Theory

              Terrorism has various deep-rooted causes that, when combined, result in countries being designed as state sponsors of the vice. In 2019, Cuba refused Colombia’s request to extradite 10 ELN leaders after the group admitted to having bombed Bogota police, killing 22 people and injured 87 others (Lopez, 2020). Although the Cuban government denied knowledge about the presence of ELN members in its precincts, fugitive ELN terrorism is reported to be living in Havana. According to conflict theory, terrorism is a reaction to injustice (Kornbluh, 2017). Also, this theory argues that violent behaviors by terror organizations emanate from individual frustrations, aggression, and readiness to fight against perceived injustices (Alexander, 2019). However, terror can also be explained from the functionalism theory that views the vice as a temporary deviation of people from the norms in society.

              Terrorism in Cuba can be explained from the world system theory, which holds that whereas some countries across the globe benefit from the global economic systems, other feel exploited; hence, terror is used in addressing global inequality (Richards, 2014). Cuba feels that it has been disenfranchised by global inequality; hence, its tolerance to terror groups and individuals (Cross, 2017). The dependency theory explains that resources flow from the poor and underdeveloped countries to the wealthy states, thus, enrich the latter at the former’s expense (Martin, 2018; Freilich & LaFree, 2017). Cuba views countries such as the US as benefiting from its resources, and terror is used in changing the flow of resources. Moreover, the modernization theory holds that states move from traditional societies to modern ones, and terror might be used to hasten such a process (Pisoiu & Hain, 2017). However, what is the historical trends of terrorism in Cuba? What are the root causes of these terror acts?

  Data and Analysis

              Cuban society has historically experienced the effects of terror. Over the last 60 years, the war on terror in Cuba has cost the lives of close to 3,500 people, with thousands of others injured (Cuba Solidarity Campaign, 2010). Numerous attempts on the life of then Cuban president Fidel Castrol have historically been made (Kornbluh, 2017). One of the devastating acts of terror in Cuba is the October 6, 1976 bombing of the Cuban Airlines Flight 455, where 73 persons were killed (Cuba Solidarity Campaign, 2010). Also, the explosion of La Coubre in Havana harbor on a steamship resulted in the death of more than 100 and injuries to 300 more (Lopez, 2020). These incidences arise from social issues such as poverty and the mixed demographics in the country. Also, failure by the administrative regimes to stamp their foot on terror groups is to blame.

  Conclusion

              Cuba has historically felt the effects of terror and was once placed in countries with state-sponsored terrorism. Terrorism acts in the country can be pegged on inequalities, and the frustration of the Cuban residents. Also, the government’s failure to extradite those culpable for terror has been a root cause of terrorism in the country. As such, there is a need to formulate a policy that addresses the vice of terror, which has led to deaths and injuries to thousands of people in Cuba.