Russian-Cuban relations in 2008-2018: the regime of "reset" by Raul Castro

Since 2008, when Raul Castro became President of Cuba, Russian-Cuban relations have been the strongest politically since the end of the Cold War. Despite the obvious "gap" in the first decade and a half after the collapse of the USSR, they revived many symbolic attributes of the bilateral ties of the Soviet era. The article is devoted to identifying the reasons for the "reset" of Russian-Cuban relations in the period 2008–2018. The emphasis is placed on the peculiarities of the strategic thinking prevailing in the Cuban ruling elite throughout the entire period since January 1959. The work touches on various aspects of bilateral relations, including political, trade and economic ties. Considerable attention is paid to the convergence of the positions of both countries on the global problems of the modern multipolar world. The emphasis is also placed on the legacy of the Soviet period of bilateral relations, which acquires an important symbolic significance. The theoretical foundation of the work is the approaches of the realistic pragmatism of H. Dominguez and its close connection with the defensive realism of K. Waltz. Attention is also paid to M.Erisman's approaches within the framework of the concept of counter-dependence. The research methodology is based on a qualitative analysis of texts. The historical analysis of foreign policy events and diplomatic contacts was applied with a comparative analysis of various periods of bilateral relations. The arguments given in the article suggest that a special strategic culture has developed in Cuba over the decades. It is based on quite pragmatic considerations, according to which a country's international subjectivity can be preserved only through a multi-vector policy aimed at maintaining a balance of power. Combined with the changes that took place in Russian foreign policy in the mid-1990s, Cuban-Russian relations remain mutually beneficial for both countries. The paper examines the state and prospects of Russian-Cuban relations in the context of Cuba's foreign policy concept. It is concluded that the improvement of bilateral relations will continue despite generational changes in the composition of the ruling Cuban elite. They are based on the desire to diversify their external relations against the background of escalating global contradictions.