Civil-military relations describe the interactions among the people, the institutions, and the military of a state. In the context of a democratic system, a bargain among the people, the civil government, and the military establishment concerning the allocations of prerogatives and resources takes place periodically and shapes the military and its roles.[ref]Mackubin Thomas Owens, 2012, […]

RESEARCH QUESTION AND STRUCTURE How have the dictatorships in Cuba and North Korea managed to have been so long lasting? This question is the starting point of this paper. Over the last twenty-five years, there have been various changes in their economies since “black markets” sprung up in Cuba and North Korea. However, despite their […]

Cuba and North Korea have many similarities in their political systems and foreign relations with the United States. However, the two countries have chosen diverging paths in recent years. The United States and Cuba moved to end five decades of hostility and agreed to revive diplomatic relations in December 2014. And, on April 11, 2015, […]

Notes[ref]An earlier version was presented at the conference “Reforming Communism: Cuba in Comparative Perspective,” Center for Latin American Studies, University of Pittsburgh, November 6–8, 2014.[/ref] Since Raúl Castro assumed Cuba’s top leadership position — on a temporary basis in 2006 and permanently in 2008 — Cuba has experienced numerous economic policy changes aimed at ending […]

Notes[ref]Editor’s Note: This essay was awarded First Prize in the 2015 ASCE Student Competition for graduate students.[/ref] Art biennials are major art exhibitions that happen every two years. They inform a global art community of nomadic professionals and objects moving from city to city, reassembling in variable narratives parallel to market trends. In 1980 the […]