In the decade since Brian Boom’s piece was published, the U.S. – Cuba relationship has seen many ups and downs. He highlights this evolution and emphasizes the continued need for scientific cooperation to protect our shared biodiversity.
The United States is fundamentally linked to other nations in the Caribbean through a shared ocean ecosystem. It is therefore essential that the U.S. cooperates with its neighbors to improve the health of marine areas in the region.
Ambassador Lianys Torres Rivera, Chargé d'Affaires at the Cuban Embassy to the U.S. spoke with Kim Montgomery, Science & Diplomacy's Executive Editor on science diplomacy.
Throughout the complicated Cuba-U.S. political and diplomatic history, the Academy of Sciences of Cuba developed strong science-based partnerships with U.S. institutions.
The Ibero-American Programme for Science, Technology and Development and the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research are two instructive approaches to strengthening regional scientific capacity and relationships.
Renowned Polish-American vaccine developer Albert Sabin showed that scientific cooperation with the Soviet Union and Cuba against infectious disease can serve public health if political barriers are lowered, lessons for current U.S.-Cuba relations.
Despite long-standing political tensions, a government-to-government agreement on the environment can help preserve U.S. and Cuban biodiversity while encouraging positive dialogue on issues of mutual interest.