NORMALIZATION OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS BETWEEN THE U.S. AND CUBA 2014-2015

The US government has currently taken a decision to normalize diplomatic
relations with Cuba. Cuba is one of the countries that is imposed by the US
foreign policy through sanctions in the form of diplomatic disengagement and
economic embargo. This decision is intended to chart a new course in the US and
Cuba relation. The approach has been taken since President Obama took office in
2009. The consideration is the outdated approach that has been going for five
decades has failed to advance the US interest. The new step tends to aim at
supporting Cuban people to determine future of their country. The aims of this
research is intended to look more for the factors behind the decision making that
encourages the US intention to normalize the diplomatic relation with Cuba. The
method of research puts the US foreign policy as a unit of analysis and the USCuba
relation as a unit of explanation. This research is based on the information
that is collected from the early Obama administration in 2009, exactly in the
second period of Obama administration in end of last year, 2014. The US foreign
policy decision to normalize diplomatic relation will be analyzed by using the
theory of the foreign policy decision-making process by William D. Coplin.
Finally, the decision making in normalization between the US and Cuba is
because of Obama’s ideology of pragmatism. Obama brings the term of change
and prefers to do engagement. In addition, normalization with Cuba is supported
by the US condition. By seeing the US condition through foreign policy decisionmaking
process by William D. Coplin, there are three determinants: domestic
politic, economy and military capabilities, and international context. The main
result shows that the most influential factors in the taking decision of
normalization are because of Obama’s ideology of pragmatism and the US
condition.
Keywords: Obama, The US Policy, Cuba, The US and Cuba relation, and
the normalization of diplomatic ties.