Cuba's Medical Diplomacy
نویسنده
چکیده
Medical diplomacy, the collaboration between countries to improve relations and simultaneously produce health benefits, is a form of soft power that has major benefits for both countries involved and should be seen as a model for international relations. Cuba has adeptly used medical diplomacy since 1960 to garner symbolic capital (prestige, good will, and influence) way beyond what would otherwise have been possible for a small, developing country. This has helped cement Cuba's role as a player on the world stage. In the twenty-first century, Cuba's medical diplomacy has provided considerable material capital (aid, credit and trade) that has been crucial to keeping its economy afloat. Cuban medical diplomacy also poses a threat to the status quo in health service delivery and forces the re-examination of societal values. This paper will discuss why and how Cuba has conducted medical diplomacy, selected examples of Cuba's external reach in the twenty-first century, medical diplomacy as the Cuban threat, and some other results such as symbolic capital accumulation and its conversion into much needed oil and other
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