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The US was interested in Alaska for the same reason it is interested in anything: exploitation. Alaska has tremendous natural resources, not least in oil, and the fact that it was snatched from under the noses of our one-time enemy (until we discovered the Middle East), the Soviet Union, just some 25 miles away just probably made the deal sweeter. But I guess any time you can buy land at 3 cents an acre, you take it, right?
As far as Cuba is concerned, the US probably didn't care about Cuba until Fidel Castro turned it into an openly Communist state in the late 50s. At that time, of course, there was tremendous hysteria about Communism; the sort of hysteria that dragged us into the Viet Nam war. Castro didn't help anything when in the early 60s he allowed the Soviet Union to put nuclear missiles on Cuba, which is within spitting distance of Miami Beach. So you can understand why President Kennedy was almost willing to start a nuclear-powered World War Three, something from which most people think we would be in bad shape today.
So today, some 40 years after the missile crisis (we call it the Cuban missile crisis, but it was just as much the American missile crisis) we are content, now that Castro has lost the subsidies he used to get in the heydays of Communism, to economically squeeze Cuba almost to the point of starvation. There are no parts available for the ancient cars (new ones are not available for any money, as there is absolutely no trade with the US, nor just about anyone else) there are precious few medicines for the sick. Cuba exports a little sugar and tobacco, two commodities the world is learning to do without more and more. Cuba is still famous for its cigars, but because of the almost total trade embargo, you can only buy them in Europe, and the only place you can find them in the USA is either in the homes of those willing to risk importing them from places like Holland, or on the desks of Senators, who play by their own rules of greed and consider themselves above the law.
Phil
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
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Which is not a countryUS Alaska cuba Canada or Mexico?
Alaska (It is a US state)
Which is not a country Mexico Alaska Cuba Canada or the US?
Alaska is not a country- it is a state within the United States of America.
What three countries have been particularly interested in Cuba?
Spain us and ussr
Is Alaska northeast of Cuba?
yes
What countries are near the US?
Canada, Mexico, and Cuba are all near the US, as are the Bahamas and other islands in the Caribbean. The state of Alaska is adjacent to Russia in the arctic.
Which country is closest to the US without sharing a border?
cuba! Russia. It's closer to Alaska than Guatemala is to Texas
Can you call Jamaica on metro pCs phones?
Sorry, No You Can't.. You Can Call To The US, Alaska, Puerto Rico, Canada And I Think Cuba
What caused people to become interested in Alaska?
the thing that caused people to become interested in Alaska was the gold rush.
Other than Canada the Alaskan border is closest to what other country?
Apart from Canada, Alaska is closest to the Russian Federation which lies to the west of Alaska across the Bering Strait.
How can you find the name of a herb that is imported into the US from Cuba?
There are no herbs imported to the US from Cuba. The US does not trade with Cuba.
Why did the us try to control its affairs Cuba?
The U.S was interested in Cuba because of its geographic location. Cuba was just too close to the United States Mainland, just a few km from Florida and in the future they could easily attack it. The U.S.A was always interested in the Caribbean and would of most likely of bought Haiti, because it was the pearl of the Caribbean, meaning it was very rich but after the Haitian Revolution, Haiti's economy was destroyed and Cuba was the next best thing when it comes to economic wealth back in those day, and the united states wanted in.
US acquisition of Alaska and Hawaii?
Hawaii became a state in 1959, but the US was interested in it for many years before that. Alaska joined the US in 1959. Many Americans thought that it was dumb to buy such barren wasteland from Russia in 1867 , but we did buy it at an extremely low price.
