A Cuban Spring? The use of the Internet as a tool of democracy promotion by USAID in Cuba

This paper is an exploration of the use of Internet technologies as tools that form a part of democracy promotion programs in authoritarian regimes by international development actors – in particular United States Agency for International Development. It discusses the role of development actors in democracy promotion, the role of the Internet and new media in democracy promotion and the impact this has had on Cuba's nascent Internet infrastructure. It discusses and asks questions about the role of development actors in the promotion of democracy, the emergence of online dissidents in Cuba and their impact on discussions pertaining to a so-called Cuban Spring and the challenges of introducing the Internet into Cuba.