The Cuba Wars: Fidel Castro, the United States, and the Next Revolution [Hardcover]

Daniel P. Erikson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 28, 2008

On the fiftieth anniversary of the Cuban Revolution, expert Daniel Erikson explores the twilight of the Castro era and what the future has in store for America’s last Cold War enemy.

January 1, 2009 will mark a half century for a Cuban regime created and shaped by the powerful will of Fidel Castro—but the ailing leader may be gone from the scene before the anniversary arrives. The Cuba Wars explores the two crucial questions of the coming era: When Castro dies, what will happen in Cuba? And what will happen in America?

There are few international relationships that rival in intimacy, passion, and sheer tension that between the Cuba and the United States. In The Cuba Wars, Cuba expert Daniel Erikson draws on extensive visits to Cuba and conversations with both government officials and opposition leaders—plus  the key players in Washington and Florida—to offer an unmatched 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, or lapse into civil war. The Cuba Wars is the book to read to understand the present and future of Cuba.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Erikson, a senior associate at the think tank Inter-American Dialogue, approaches his analysis of the relationship between the U.S. and Cuba with the verve of a journalist, filling the book with interviews with dissident leaders and civilians in Cuba and the Cuban-American community. He demonstrates how policy and politics intersect, especially in a U.S. presidential election year, when the voice of Cuban exiles in Miami's Little Havana, a community that has been pushing to keep the U.S. embargo against Cuba in place, sounds especially loud and influential. Erikson turns his attention to the intriguing and unknown future for the Cuban polity; since Castro formally ceded power to his brother Raul Castro Ruz in February 2008, both Cubans and Americans are watching for what comes next. There is a revolution of expectations underway, and Erikson presents the looming political and economic uncertainties, exploring the possibility that since Raul has already allowed for increased consumption and real estate privatization, Cuba—like China—might be gradually opening up to capitalism. (Nov.)
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Review

"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

“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 at 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.” – Professor Riordan Roett

“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.” – Professor Brian Latell, author of After Fidel: Raul Castro and the Future of Cuba’s Revolution and University of Miami Cuba specialist

“With this fresh, astute, and compassionate exploration of the past two decades of U.S.-Cuban relations, Erikson emerges as a valuable new voice in Washington foreign policy circles.”

– Foreign Affairs

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Press; 1 edition (October 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596914343
• ISBN-13: 978-1596914346
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #991,880 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Uniquely Insightful and Compelling, November 19, 2008

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Moon Starkey (USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Cuba Wars: Fidel Castro, the United States, and the Next Revolution (Hardcover)

This great book is refreshing and rare in a number of ways. Unlike so many commentators on the subject of Cuba and Cuba-U.S relations, Erikson not only avoids the traps many others have fallen prey to--blindly supporting the obviously and absurdly unsuccessful U.S. embargo or fawning over a dictator who hardly deserves praise--he soberly uncovers the failings and occasional achievements on both sides of the Florida Straits. Erikson accomplishes this in a way that proves to be immensely compelling: through interviews with key actors--many of them not only very informative but also surprisingly entertaining--on virtually all sides of the issues. Many of those interviewed by Erikson--whether U.S. or Venezuelan generals or Cuban dissidents in Cuba--were shockingly upfront and unguarded with him. Nonfiction is rarely this much fun. You might even laugh out loud on occasion. Indeed, even readers without a strong interest in Cuba may have difficulty putting this book down once commenced. That said, this is an important and serious book that students of U.S. foreign policy and Cuba cannot afford to miss. It should be required reading for the incoming administration in Washington and perhaps even more so for the outgoing administration. Beyond that Erikson is clearly a writer of great talent and one can only hope we see more from him in the years to come.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A terrific and surprising read, November 14, 2008

By 

Robin Wolaner (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Cuba Wars: Fidel Castro, the United States, and the Next Revolution (Hardcover)

I probably wouldn't have chosen this book if I didn't hear the author speak. Cuba wasn't on my radar screen. But with the imminent ending of the regime of the Castro brothers, the vital role of Cuban refugees in U.S. politics, and Cuba's significance to the U.S., I decided to try it and am glad I did. I now count myself as a Cuba expert :). Not like Daniel Erikson -- this man actually knows more about Cuba than anyone I've ever met. But my hours reading this book taught me a lot about a country I've never been able to visit, and made me care about its future. Engaging, full of great stories.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Master Wordsmith, November 21, 2008

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C. C. Greene (Maine) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Cuba Wars: Fidel Castro, the United States, and the Next Revolution (Hardcover)

As one who edits student writing for a living, I demand excellent style and command of the language when I read for pleasure. In Dan Erikson's new book the content was foreign to me, and became compelling because he is a consummate writer. To be specific: people, places and events were introduced in such a way that they immediately made an impression. This was done through anecdote, first-hand account on the part of Erikson, direct quote, riveting description, or allusion that resonated with the reader. When salient facts reappeared later in the narrative, Erikson reminded you and allowed you to place the facts in a larger context, so that the exposition built in a spiral fashion, facilitating a close reading by even a newcomer to the subject. His use of parallel construction tied the introduced material to the greater context. What appears to be effortless writing is almost always hard won on the part of the author. Erikson's research was personal, emotional, intellectual, and ultimately flowed on the page from years of finding the subject too important to ignore and in need of exposition to a wide audience of initiates in the subject as well as the mass of readers. Both populations will appreciate an author who knows and loves his subject enough to give us a book with necessary facts and balanced opinion, relete with erudite nuances and a style that allows the reader to trust that the author is intimate with the times, the people, and the issues.