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The Cuba Wars

Fidel Castro, the United States, and the Next Revolution

Bloomsbury Press, November 2009
ISBN: 978-1-60819-012-6, ISBN10: 1-60819-012-9,
5.5 x 8.25 inches, 384 pages, B&W Illustrations throughout,
Trade Paperback, $18.00

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See All Categories Latin American & Caribbean Studies Latin American & Caribbean Studies - All Titles Political Science Latin America & Caribbean United States & Canada

January 1, 2009 marks a half century for the Cuban regime created and shaped by the powerful will of Fidel Castro. Even with the ailing leader's power transferred to his brother Raul, the myth of Fidel is still at the center of the country's identity. The Cuba Wars explores the two crucial questions of the coming era: What does the end of Fidel's leadership mean for the future of Cuba? And what will it mean for the United States?

There are few international relationships that rival in intimacy, passion, and sheer tension than that between Cuba and the United States. In The Cuba Wars, Daniel P. Erikson draws on extensive visits to Cuba and conversations with Cubans from across the political spectrum—plus the key players in Washington and Florida—to offer the most vivid and up-to-date portrait of a small country with very large importance to America.

Cuba remains "our last Cold War enemy"—now closely allied to Hugo Chavez's Venezuela as it once was to the USSR. Yet it has quietly become a major trade partner for American agribusiness. The "next revolution" there could see Cuba become a multibillion-dollar capitalist economy—or continue as a socialist dystopia on the brink of ruin. The Cuba Wars is the book to read to understand the present and future of Cuba.

Praise

"A complete, insightful and fair-handed look at American policies toward Cuba."—The Associated Press

"The Cuba Wars provides a valuable glimpse inside the U.S. decision-making process with regards to one of its oldest and seemingly most intractable international disputes."—The Miami Herald

"A sharp and deeply reported account of dynamics informing U.S.-Cuba policy since the Clinton administration."—The Nation

"Dan Erikson unravels the multiple arguments that swirl about Cuba between Cubans on both sides of the Straits of Florida, the governments in Washington and Havana, and those for whom Cuba is the cause of either glorious revolution or brutal repression. He sheds light on substantive policies, stylistic differences, and deeply-held public values in clear, accessible prose, with fascinating stories that illustrate the larger drama."—Jorge I. Domínguez, Professor of Government, Harvard University

"Dan Erikson's comprehensive and insightful book could not have been published at a better time. There is a transition under way in Cuba, as in the U.S., and whether one agrees or disagrees with Erikson's balanced analysis, this volume is an excellent starting point to review and rethink decades of policy failure. Neither nostalgia nor wishful thinking will change the realities in Cuba, and this book explains why. Cuban society is evolving; a new political generation is about to move front and center. Wise policy makers will take Erikson's book as a guide to what to do next."—Riordan Roett, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Western Hemisphere Program, Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University

"Erikson achieves what for decades has been so elusive for American observers of the Cuban revolution: he writes with flair and grace, presenting objective, finely nuanced analysis. I like how he weaves in dozens of interviews reflecting a diversity of views. This is a stimulating and valuable read."—Brian Latell, Senior Research Associate, Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies, University of Miami, and author of After Fidel: Raul Castro and the Future of Cuba’s Revolution

"Dan Erikson has made an issue and a set of characters many of us thought permanently frozen dance out from the pages of his wonderfully refreshing look at the recent US-Cuba madness. There are original anecdotes and portraits in this book that I haven't seen anywhere else. Whether writing about Guantanamo, Havana, Miami, or the shenanigans in Washington, Dan's reporting, analysis, and his wry sense of irony make The Cuba Wars a lot more fun to read than the serious title implies. A major accomplishment."—Julia E. Sweig, Council on Foreign Relations, author of Inside the Cuban Revolution

"Cogent summary of decades of Cuban-American animus, plus speculation about future détente . . . Erikson, a senior associate for U.S. policy at Washington think tank Inter-American Dialogue, has traveled frequently to Cuba and is evidently well versed in its history and culture. He skillfully assesses both sides as he chronicles the 'war of nerves' between America and Cuba since the Bay of Pigs invasion and President Kennedy's 1962 embargo, in effect to this day . . . Erikson marvels at Castro's resiliency, interviews dissenters who loathe his repressive methods but admire his anti-imperialist ideals, explores the political clout of Little Havana in Miami, visits prisoners, comments on propaganda and reports on the curious alliance between Castro and Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, providing an invaluable snapshot of a nation poised to ignite on the eve of the revolution's 50th anniversary. Terrific background, keen insight and an evenhanded critical distance distinguish Erikson's fine work."—Kirkus Reviews

"What are the prospects for meaningful change as the Castro era withers away? Erikson paints a dreary portrait of contemporary Cuban domestic politics. The regime is fearful, unimaginative, and sclerotic; its main competence is in controlling and, when necessary, repressing citizens. Erikson also effectively savages American policy toward Cuba, which he views as still hostage to the whims of anti-Castro Cubans in Miami. Still, there is cause for hope; Cuban dissidents are numerically few and isolated, but they are courageous, persistent, and reflective of broader discontent, and sensible American politicians are realizing the futility of the current American policy toward Cuba. This is an informative and important analysis."—Booklist

About the Author(s)

Daniel P. Erikson

Daniel P. Erikson is senior associate for U.S. policy at the Inter-American Dialogue think tank in Washington, D.C. He has published more than fifty essays and scholarly articles in publications including The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and The Miami Herald.