Environmental Destruction of rainforest for agriculture; timber and mineral Problem extraction; and beef production Cuba Cuba Before US business and mafia thrived under dictator Fulgencio Batista Castro Fidel Castro Young Cuban lawyer/revolutionary who took over in 1959. Gave power to brother Raul in 2008. Government and Communist dictatorship Economy Type Cold War Ally Soviet Union Bay of Pigs 1961- US supported invasion of Cuba by 1400 Cuban exiles. Colossal failure and embarrassment for US. Cuban Missile 1962- 13 day standoff between US and USSR over Soviet nuclear Crisis missiles in Cuba. Closest world ever came to nuclear war. Trade Embargo 1961- US trade with Cuba was outlawed. Embargo continues to this day, mostly due to huge Cuban exile population in Florida who hate Castro regime. Puerto Rico Commonwealth US territory. Self-governing. US citizens, but don’t pay federal taxes Status or have federal representation. Has voted against statehood and independence. US and Central America Conflict in In the 1980s, US supported right-wing government against left-wing El Salvador rebels. Conflict in In the 1980s, US supported the Contras, right-wing rebels, in struggle Nicaragua against left-wing Sandinista government. Current Issues Debt Nations amassed huge debts to foreign lenders that led to a crisis in the 1980s that hurt most Latin American economies Drug Trade US and European demand for drugs (cocaine, marijuana, heroin) led to the growth of violent drug cartels in Columbia and Mexico Environmental Population growth and development of resources have led to problems deforestation, overfishing, strip mining, and air pollution
Environmental Problem Destruction of rainforest for agriculture; timber and mineral extraction; and beef production Cuba Cuba Before Castro US business and mafia thrived under dictator Fulgencio Batista Fidel Castro Young Cuban lawyer/revolutionary who took over in 1959. Gave power to brother Raul in 2008. Government and Economy Type Communist dictatorship Cold War Ally Soviet Union Bay of Pigs 1961- US supported invasion of Cuba by 1400 Cuban exiles. Colossal failure and embarrassment for US. Cuban Missile Crisis 1962- 13 day standoff between US and USSR over Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba. Closest world ever came to nuclear war. Trade Embargo 1961- US trade with Cuba was outlawed. Embargo continues to this day, mostly due to huge Cuban exile population in Florida who hate Castro regime. Puerto Rico Commonwealth Status US territory. Self-governing. US citizens, but don’t pay federal taxes or have federal representation. Has voted against statehood and independence. US and Central America Conflict in El Salvador In the 1980s, US supported right-wing government against left-wing rebels. Conflict in Nicaragua In the 1980s, US supported the Contras, right-wing rebels, in struggle against left-wing Sandinista government. Current Issues Debt Nations amassed huge debts to foreign lenders that led to a crisis in the 1980s that hurt most Latin American economies Drug Trade US and European demand for drugs (cocaine, marijuana, heroin) led to the growth of violent drug cartels in Columbia and Mexico Environmental problems Population growth and development of resources have led to deforestation, overfishing, strip mining, and air pollution