HEALTH DIPLOMACY AS A SOURCE OF SOFT POWER: CASE STUDY OF CUBA AND VENEZUELA

Abstract

In this thesis work I will try to analyze the emerging role of health diplomacy in international relations, and prove or disprove its role as an efficient soft power tool for building strong diplomatic bonds between countries. The example of Cuba and Venezuela will be used to demonstrate how relations based on medical assistance respond to the actual need for reestablishment of social values and right to health in the modern time. In the first chapter, theoretical basis for the soft power should be provided: the definition of the term, sources, outcomes, along with the explanation of its perceived importance and efficacy in foreign affairs. Theory is largely based on the works of Joseph Nye, a renowned professor in Harvard Kennedy school, who first coined the term “soft power.” Second chapter should give a broader perspective on the reality of medical and health foreign policies, answering to the questions of why it is needed and how it is done. An introduction to Global Health Diplomacy (GHD) shall be included. Mainly, the threat of trans-boundary epidemics, impact of health rate on a country’s development level, and a status of health as a fundamental social value should be mentioned. Therefore, as for the reasons supporting the linkage between health sector and diplomatic affairs, three agendas identified by Ilona Kickbusch – namely security, economic interests and social justice – will be considered. Third chapter of the work will be concentrated on the Cuba’s engagement to the improvement of global healthcare, from briefly mentioning Fidel Castro’s initiatives as historical background – up to the bilateral agreements between Havana and Karakas on provision of medical service in rural areas of Venezuela.