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

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 caricaturize 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 Guatanamo 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.

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.

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.