Russia, Cuba and colonial legacies in the twenty-first century

Since the year 2000 Russia has taken increasing interest in Latin America with commerce being paramount. Moreover, in 2015 Russian-Cuban relations are at their most robust politically since 1991, but they differ from Moscow’s relationship with the rest of the region as Russian-Cuban trade remains extremely low. This article will posit that the forms of economic dependence that existed in Soviet-Cuban relations in the period from 1959 to 1991 are key. As a result, Russian-Cuban trade since 1991 displays similarities to the decolonization process that took place in the second half of the twentieth century with this explaining the current low level of bilateral trade.