Cuba

The island of Cuba is an island nation in the West Indies, comprising the island of Cuba itself, Isla de la Juventud, and several smaller islands as part of an archipelago. Cuba - as well as the West Indies - were discovered by Christopher Colombus in 1492. In the early years of European conquest of the Americas, it had been a part of the Spanish Empire. The island nation was declared independent of the United States as per a concession granted in the Treaty of Paris (1892) after the Spanish-American War. Though, it wasn't until the turn of the century it was declared a fully independent nation as The Republic of Cuba. Its constitution provided concessions to the US to be a intervening force in Cuban politics, and was heavily within the US sphere of influence and the powers of Washington's politics.

Geographically, Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean, and prior to Christopher Columbus had been colonized by numerous Mesoamerican tribes before hand. As well, the island holds a vast multi-cultural existence from the multiple ethnic tribes that had lived on the island before and during Spanish occupation, Africans from the Atlantic slave trade.

Since the 1970's, Cuba has been occupied and divided by numerous powers in world politics. During the height of the North American War North American War the island nation was invaded an occupied by the Second South, which in turn fought the Mexicans over the island in the same war. Additionally, the occupation of the island and the nation's steady political radicalization resulted in the eruption of Communism on its eastern half. To stem the violence, Florida offered the province of Cienfuego to the Holy See, where the Vatican assisted Ethiopia in refugee relief efforts in the North American Airlift and helped settle the violence on the both half of the islands.

In the later part of the decade, the Communists would be driven out of the eastern half of the island to US administered west as the Brazilian supported GLA swept through the West Indies.

History
Cuba was invaded and occupied by the Second South - then a rebellious independence movement based in northern Florida with influence over the Southern US - sometime around October of 1970. Over the next several months, the Floridian military made use of the disorganized Cuban army and the lack of proper American support to route and disband the government in Havanna. However, civil unrest followed over the aggressive occupation of Cuba. The Second South attempted to disperse the unrest to minimal effect.

The resistance to their occupation was rough, displacing much of the native population. The issue rising to the point in which China offered to take many of the radically left revolutionaries as a humanitarian offer to the people.

Communism
Communist revolutionaries engaged in action against the Second South government on November 4, 1970 in the province of Sancti Spiritus. Lead by Faure Chomón their first initial movements of the then several-hundred strong movement was raiding the highway to steal supplies from the colonial authority. A move which greatly irritated the authorities in Talahasse, though stretched by the North American War could only assign escorts and patrols along the highways.

Utilizing propoganda, Faure Chomón sought to expand the Revolution in his homeland and ordered for Party Missionaries to set out for the smaller Cuban islands to rally support, utilizing nationalistic and popular imagery to recruit against the new American oppressors.

Finalized Independence was gained on December 3 after the Second South capitulated to demands and offered the eastern portion of Cuba to the revolutionaries. Though with land of his own, Faure was not content to stay put. And with the assistance of Chinese agents mounted an invasion of Haiti, which was declared - and for the Chinese - started with an awkward boating accident on December 10.

Operation TITAN - Mexican Invasion
As part of a greater plan of action during the North American War, the Mexicans - allied to the US - invaded Mexico in what was called Operation Titan. Arriving to Cuba on December 18, it was a failure for the Mexican army and forced them from the West Indies.

Annexation by the United States
After the collapse of the Second South and the resulting anarchy that bred in its former territories, the US set out to reclaim the remaining southern territories including Cuba. The invasion of and restablishment of an American presence in Cuba was one of the first launched programs of Eric Fernandez after being elected to term. Of socialist leaning, the Communists of the west did not protest and for once a whole island - save for Papal administrated Cienfuego - was under the same administration.

Arrival of the GLA
In the south, the Republic of Brazil had been growing restless and angry of what Adriano Claro viewed as rampant colonialism of the old world. As part of a procedure of overthrowing what he percieved to be hostile governments in Latin America, and to dispense the European presences in the Americas, the GLA was formed and funded, and tasked to insight popular revolt against the current administrations of the islands and Latin American nations, formally cutting the US from the territories it saw its right to defend under the Monroe Doctrine, as well as Panama.

The movement soon reached the West Indies, sweeping the Communist regieme from power in Haiti and establishing a hold on the western half of Cuba. US forces on the island held back the groups movements and established a hold on their part of the island.

Post-1980 US Elections
The US elections of 1980 bring an era of doubt on the islands as the regieme in Washington changes. Already populated with pro-Communists, the Western, US administrated portion of the islands is held in doubt as James Harrison acts in defiance to the Third International. As well, the racist policies of stemming Hispanic-based immigration and the fear of persecution puts many of the residents at risk. And on the east side, the GLA - or what remains - sits idly by.

Economy
The Economy of Cuba relies primarily on agricultural produce, particularly in the field of tobbacco products. Additionally, a small mining industry - primarily in Nickle - was founded and operated by the Secound South in their short period of existence, but none-the-less continued by the US and its communist allies in the Fernandez years.

Additional GDP is made up of tourism, primarily from the US, Mexico, or friendly areas. Though current politics has put severe stress on the situation and a wide-spread travel embargo to the US and US-administrated territories.

Politics
The current state of Cuba has it administrated by three different institutions. Two of which can be factored - the US and the Papacy - where the final can not be appropriately discerned: the GLA.