This book is about Cuba's current and future conditions of security and legality, and how they may be affected as this nation reforms its economy and politics. Living conditions in this country have systematically deteriorated in the past decades, and changes are underway, especially in the economic realm. Many troubles could be avoided in the future if better political and economic institutions were established in the island.

More generally, this book contributes to our general understanding of the particular conditions under which states are able to implement and, most importantly, sustain democratic order. A significant issue of our times is that countries around the world have not been able to fully consolidate their democratic systems. Populist regimes – at all points on the ideological spectrum – are promising illusory solutions to countries’ political and economic issues. The recent coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) health crisis has stripped bare many governments around the world, showing their ineptitude and authoritarian tendencies.

My research design combines a variety of methods, both quantitative and qualitative. Conducting research in Cuba, or even about Cuba, can be a perilous business for researchers and citizens alike. Data from official sources is scarce in quantity and unreliable in quality. Government censorship is ubiquitous and most citizens are afraid to talk politics.

Book outline

I begin the book by discussing Cuba's security and legality conditions. In this first chapter, I provide a brief background of illicit activities in Cuba since colonial times, and especially during the 20th century, highlighting the island's historical propensity for criminal activity. I outline Cuba's current liberalization processes and the different alternatives for the near future, which would determine how order is affected.

In the Chapter 2, I explore existing knowledge on how order is affected as nations liberalize. I analyze the most plausible theories that explain how societies are able, or unable, to impose order within their territories as they modify their institutions. In this chapter, I develop my argument on the sort of negative externalities that processes of political and economic liberalization may impact on societal order, specifically on security and legality.