Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

The Obama administration would be wise to consider Schoultz's latest book essential reading. In a massive text, Schoultz (political science, Univ. of North Carolina) tracks the failures of ten U.S. Presidents to come to grips with and understand Cuba and Castro's Cuban Revolution, illuminating this grave and persistent flaw in American diplomacy. Schoultz concludes that American attempts to "uplift" Cuba and Cubans reflect arrogance and ultimately cross the line to ignorance, attitudes he terms delusional. One President after another has approached Cuba with the "parking lot mentality," the belief that the United States could decimate and destroy Cuba at any time. Utilizing an impressive variety of primary and secondary sources (with more than 150 pages of notes), he details Cuban-American relations administration by administration, from assassination attempts on Castro's life to messages displayed to the people at large, always returning to America's lack of respect for Cuban sovereignty and right to self-determination. Ultimately, he proffers advice for how U.S. policy should adapt. This impressive new book is highly recommended; after all, neither nation is going to be moving any time soon.-Boyd Childress, Auburn Univ. Lib., AL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

Writing from a liberal perspective, Schoultz (North Carolina, Chapel Hill) provides a comprehensive history and analysis of US policy toward Cuba during and after the Cold War, a policy he defines as moderated realism and considers an unproductive failure. US policy is related to a longstanding tradition of viewing Cuba from a paternalistic perspective and seeing it as a small country needing US assistance, regardless of what the Cubans themselves actually want. Indeed, the book begins with four very interesting chapters on US-Cuban relations from the 19th century though 1958. Mainly, though, using a wealth of documents and interviews, Schoultz traces the policies of ten US administrations from Eisenhower to G. W. Bush with regard to Cuba. Particular focus is placed on individual decision makers. This book sets a new standard as the reference for US policy toward a country that US officials have tended to find especially irritating. It is very well written, both clear and meticulous. That said, at over 700 pages (including almost 160 pages of notes) this work is both definitive for scholars and policy makers and long for undergraduates. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers, upper-division undergraduate students, and above. A. Siaroff University of Lethbridge