Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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.

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.

"The Cuba Wars" is a fascinating and impartial look at America's foreign policy by a professional American public policy analyst. Daniel Erikson traces the history of Cuban and USA relations from the onset of the Castro administration until present day.

Erikson makes a number of good points in "The Cuba Wars."

A few particularly thought-provoking sections include:

(1) the important role of the well-placed Cuban exiles in Miami in impacting American political decisions and public opinion related to Cuba (2)the story of little Elian Gonzales (the 1999 photos of a soldier pointing a gun at the child hidden in a Florida closet are still circulated widely) (3) the curious relationship between Cubans and Americans living in and on Guantanamo (4) the appalling lack of control over OFAC, a little-known agency of the US Treasury Department, that handles a wide range of sanctions programs, including those against Iran, North Korea, and Cuba.

OFAC's role in Cuba was particularly shocking to me. Erikson writes of a 2006 conference of oil companies held in Mexico City. A distinguished Cuban delegation that was specifically invited to present papers and be part of the discussion, was thrown out of the hotel and its hotel deposit confiscated by the United States government. The reason: Washington called. The conference hotel, Sheraton, is an American-based chain. We do not do business with non-American Cubans.

This interference in a conference held in another country was politically stupid, giving Mexico and Cuba, and the delegates from other countries including our own, plenty of anti-American fodder.

The danger caused by the whip-lash effect of jerking other countries around every time our nation switches from Republican to Democrat and back again, is something about which Americans need to become better educated.

By catering to imagined and perceived election results in this country, our public officials have allowed a situation to develop whereby United States is no longer considered a completely reliable partner in world affairs. After reading this book, it is hard to imagine that Cubans would welcome American "aid."

Yes, read this book and absorb its message. If "image is everything" we cannot afford to keep handing the world negative publicity opportunities on a silver platter. Erikson's book should be required reading for every American citizen.

Kim Burdick
Stanton, DE

This book had everything that I needed to know, and things that I didn't even know existed. But the most surprising part was that I never grew bored of the text. The personal interviews and insightful analysis kept the book intriguing when I thought it would fall flat and become dry. Instead of a boring history tome, I read a refreshing and current piece of work.

I can only hope that he writes a follow up to cover some of the things that Obama has done.

We appear to be on the edge of significant change in US-Cuba relations and to best understand what has happened, this is a must-read. Erikson weaves together the many odd and discordant aspects of Cuban-American relations: exiles in Miami and elsewhere in the world, the internal dissident movement in Cuba, the role of Hugo Chavez (which cannot be underestimated) and White House after White House that has failed to properly focus on Fidel and the threat he poses. What I found particularly fascinating is the large amount of interaction between Cuba and the US in the last twenty years - a constant see-saw in US policy spurred by brilliant, cunning political strategy of Fidel and Raul Castro. This is a superb book and a great read.

I found Cuba Wars to show both balance and clarity about a subject that too many Americans see as black and white. The author does not shy away from clarifying the many ways Fidel can manifest genius despot, while at the same time he clarifies the lunacy of Washington and Miami. My favorite insightful point he makes is that people who tend to side with the revolution and/or the cuban people call him Fidel whereas those that see him as a despot call him Castro.

The Cuba Wars has something for everyone. If you are an avid follower of the island, the book will bring you up to date on the latest travails to promote democratic change in Cuba. While author Daniel Erikson's position is quite clear (and few could argue with the logic his analysis), he does not characterize those who support and shape U.S. policy, particularly the embargo. If you are a recent student of Latin America, this book will provide you with a quick, but entertaining review of the Revolution and its aftermath, both in Cuba and the United States.

Erikson's chapters shift from Cuba to Miami and Washington, D.C., as he interviews average citizens, military officials, political leaders and opinion makers in the polarized world of Cuban politics. Erickson shows the folly of U.S. policy, but does not pull any punches in describing the political contradictions and economical distortions of the Revolution, which has fallen short of its rhetoric on almost all accounts. He weaves a nice narrative and conveys an acute sense of observation and humor.

A case in point is the chapter on Guantanamo Bay, "The Least Worst Place," Donald Rumsfeld's characterization of the U.S. naval base as a holding place for enemy combatants from Afghanistan. Erikson links the war on terror with the politics of the island and in the process uncovers an unlikely dialogue taking place between the militaries of the United States and Cuba. Bimonthly "fence meetings," address local, military-to-military issues in an attempt to avoid any misunderstandings that could exacerbate a tense situation.

Unfortunately, these little known encounters constitute one of only three areas of sustained official communications between the two countries. According to the author, it is this lack of communication that has sustained the "Cuban Wars," his encapsulation of policies from both sides of the Florida Strait, which "have endured far too long, damaged the lives of too many people and achieved far too little to justify making this conflict the inheritance of future generations." I have no doubt that The Cuba Wars will soon find the wide audience it deserves.

As an editor of more than 40 years of experience and an avid reader of works on history, politics and public policy, I can attest that Daniel Erikson's book on Cuba, "The Cuba Wars: Fidel Castro, the United States and the Next Revolution," is an all-too-rare blend of fresh thinking and crisp, fluent prose. As we leave the Fidel era and embark on the Obama era, Erikson provides U.S. policymakers and citizens everywhere with the guidebook they need as America rethinks and reshapes its long and frayed relationship with Cuba.

It's an amazingly professional analysis of the relations between Cuba and the US from 2000 to 2008. The author knows Cuba, knows Miami and reveals the dirty laundry of everybody providing facts, motives and outcomes. I was amazed to see how well written and balanced it is, and how the author avoids both demonizing or deifying Castro, Miami, the embargo or US policy.

One of the best political books I have ever read. I've been living in Cuba for over a decade and I still learned new stuff in almost every chapter.

Excellent job.