Legal Dissent: Constitutional Proposals for “Cambio” in Cuba 143
national—all capable of mobilizing collectively around a principle or
issue (Keck and Sikkink 1998: 9). For groups such as the MCL, the
advocacy and activism of such transnational networks “can amplify
the demands of domestic groups, and may pry open space for new
issues and then echo back these demands into the domestic arena.”
(Keck and Sikkink 1998: 13). Keck and Sikkink refer to this as “the
boomerang effect,” whereby pressure exerted internationally has a
domestic impact (Keck and Sikkink 1998: 12). The concept assumes
that combined pressure on a government from the inside out (by the
domestic civic organization) and the outside in (by the transnational
advocacy network) will cause the government to shift its position or
change its behavior.
Under the Keck and Sikkink model, external pressure is a major
trigger for political will to change or reform. It bears noting, however,
that Cuba's political strategy is built around the mythology of internal
unity, sacrifice, and resistance to external pressure. Witness the text
added to the Constitution in June 2002, just one month after the pre-
sentation of the Varela Project signatures:
“Socialism and the revolutionary political and social system established
in this Constitution and proven through years of heroic resistance in
the face of aggression of all types and economic warfare waged by the
successive administrations of the most powerful country that has ever
existed, and having demonstrated their capacity to transform the coun-
try and create an entirely new and just society, are irrevocable; and
Cuba will never again return to capitalism.” (Ch. I, Art. 3, Cuban Con-
stitution, 26 June 2002)If the past is precedent in Cuba, the government can effectively
interrupt dynamics of international pressure by increasing repression,
reversing reforms, slowing the pace of promised reforms, and lower-
ing expectations (Corrales 2004: 47). Despite the perennial existence
of political factions in the Cuban government that favor change, dur-
ing past political crises the hard-liners have triumphed over the
reformists (Corrales 2004: 48).