Global health diplomacy or medical diplomacy is a concept and practice that describes the relationship between global health and foreign policy (Feldbaum et al. 1). Cooperation among health...Show moreGlobal health diplomacy or medical diplomacy is a concept and practice that describes the relationship between global health and foreign policy (Feldbaum et al. 1). Cooperation among health officials and diplomats is becoming increasingly important in current times, as health issues are transcending traditional nation-state borders, which is largely due to the spread of epidemics such as Ebola, SARS and BSE. Medical diplomacy is a way to wield soft power, especially for small developing countries such as Cuba, which would never have the capabilities of superpowers, such as the United States, to gain power in traditional means through military force or economic supremacy (Feinsilver,” Fifty years of Cuba's medical diplomacy” 100). Cuba has been engaging in medical diplomacy for over fifty years, long before health became relevant on global agendas. Therefore Cuba makes an exceptional case study to investigate when assessing global health diplomacy. This thesis intends to understand Cuba’s unique healthcare system at home and abroad in order to understand ‘how’ and ‘why’ it has become what it is today. In order to assess this topic, first the concept of power will be examined, looking in particular at soft power. Following, a particular soft power policy will be examined: Global health diplomacy and its importance in International Relations. Then Cuba’s domestic healthcare system will be scrutinized to comprehend how it has emerged and why it has become so successful. Consecutively, Cuba’s efforts in medical diplomacy will be inspected, with a focus on the Cuban-Venezuelan oil-for-doctors trade agreement, to answer the central question of this thesis: What are Cuba’s intentions behind its policy of medical diplomacy?Show less
