Thesis--United States should reassess its Public Diplomacy strategy toward Cuba and the key role that Public Diplomacy plays in preparing the Cuban people to transition to a free and democratic state. RATIONALE: The Castro Regime has a monopoly on all media and information in Cuba, which permits the regime to control what the Cuban people see and believe about the outside world and indeed their own country. Therefore, the people of Cuba are Castro's center of gravity and as such are the key force for transition and change to a free and democratic Cuba. The Informational Element of Power and Public Diplomacy are the premier tools the United States has to shape the message to the Cuban population. This tool is designed to provide objective and unbiased information to the Cuban population. As Castro ages and approaches the end of his regime, the United States has a window of opportunity to educate the Cuban population. It is imperative that the United States maximize this window of opportunity. Public diplomacy has the responsibility to shape the informational battlespace and the mandate to address the misconceptions that the populous might have. The United States can not wait until Castro's departure to engage the Cuban people. The United States needs to change its current engagement strategy and directly engage the Cuban people now. APPROACH: After a brief history of United States-Cuban relations, to include the current state of this relationship, this strategy research paper evaluates the Informational Element of Power, but most specifically, the role of public diplomacy and Cuba. Next, it looks at the current United State-Cuba situation through the Basic Five Ring Model developed by John A. Warden, III. The paper then applies Warden's model to the Cuban public diplomacy message. Next, the paper proposes a way ahead for the public diplomacy strategy toward Cuba. Finally, this paper recommends changes to current public diplomacy policy to set the strategy for a post-Castro era. / "18 March 2005"--P. iii. Includes bibliographical references (p. 25-27). Full text document available on public STINET.

Thesis (M.A.)--Harvard University, 2001. / "April 19, 2001." Includes bibliographical references (p. 79-82). Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1963. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S. in Information Systems and Operations)--Naval Postgraduate School, June 2005. / Thesis Advisor(s): Hy Rothstein, Steve Iatrou. Includes bibliographical references (p. 59-63). Also available online.

Latin America is in the last years a region who is receiving more and more global attention both on the economic and political side. During the last 30 years the region has gone through several changes allowing the Latin American countries to maintain a fast and stable economic and democratic growth which has attracted the interest of the two main economic powers, the United States and the People's Republic of China. Since the Monroe Doctrine, the United States has significantly contributed to shaping policy in Latin America. However, given the recent changes in the international system since the end of the Cold War, the U.S. influence has decreased probably as never before. This has allowed other international powers, precisely China, to enter the region and gain important economic and political partners. Given China's need for commodities, energy and the need for new markets for their high amounts of manufactures, Latin America has gone off very well in increasing its economical ties with China. However, it must not be forgotten that the United States still plays an important role in the region. The aim of this thesis is to compare the current foreign policies of the United States and the China towards Latin America, of where is the arm of the United States important, and where the Chinese one is.

When the new South African government took power in 1994, the United States (US) pictured a bright future with a strategic country. They envisioned a strong partnership in political, economic and security realms. Although the US has consistently labeled their bilateral relationship with South Africa as ‘excellent,’ government officials from both countries at the end of 2008 expressed concern about the perceived crisis that US-South African relations was in. Against this backdrop, this thesis explores the bilateral relationship between the US, a global power, and South Africa, a regional power, assessing the key issues from 1994-2008. This thesis attempts to achieve an understanding of the relationship by using a new paradigm developed by Professor Brantly Womack of the University of Virginia (US), entitled asymmetry theory. His theory, which was developed after decades of studying the political landscape between states in Southeast Asia, addresses the effects of national disparities on asymmetric bilateral relationships. This thesis breaks new ground by testing Womack’s asymmetry theory in relation to the US and South Africa, two countries located outside the continent of Asia. Moreover, this is the first study where the theory has been applied to a relationship between a global and regional power. This thesis argues that there was a considerable downward swing in US-South African relations during the Bush Administration due to the confliction of several vital principles in each country’s foreign policy, the structural implications of asymmetry, and the lack of an institution were US and South African government officials could quickly communicate to clarify any disputes or misperceptions that may have arisen. This thesis argues that the bilateral relationship has changed from normalization to normalcy throughout the time period although there are still significant hurdles to overcome in the future. Additionally, this thesis argues that the value of asymmetry theory has proven itself in its illumination of the dynamics of the relationship. / Political Sciences / D. Litt. et Phil. (International Politics)

When the new South African government took power in 1994, the United States (US) pictured a bright future with a strategic country. They envisioned a strong partnership in political, economic and security realms. Although the US has consistently labeled their bilateral relationship with South Africa as ‘excellent,’ government officials from both countries at the end of 2008 expressed concern about the perceived crisis that US-South African relations was in. Against this backdrop, this thesis explores the bilateral relationship between the US, a global power, and South Africa, a regional power, assessing the key issues from 1994-2008. This thesis attempts to achieve an understanding of the relationship by using a new paradigm developed by Professor Brantly Womack of the University of Virginia (US), entitled asymmetry theory. His theory, which was developed after decades of studying the political landscape between states in Southeast Asia, addresses the effects of national disparities on asymmetric bilateral relationships. This thesis breaks new ground by testing Womack’s asymmetry theory in relation to the US and South Africa, two countries located outside the continent of Asia. Moreover, this is the first study where the theory has been applied to a relationship between a global and regional power. This thesis argues that there was a considerable downward swing in US-South African relations during the Bush Administration due to the confliction of several vital principles in each country’s foreign policy, the structural implications of asymmetry, and the lack of an institution were US and South African government officials could quickly communicate to clarify any disputes or misperceptions that may have arisen. This thesis argues that the bilateral relationship has changed from normalization to normalcy throughout the time period although there are still significant hurdles to overcome in the future. Additionally, this thesis argues that the value of asymmetry theory has proven itself in its illumination of the dynamics of the relationship. / Political Sciences / D. Litt. et Phil. (International Politics)