Synopses & Reviews
Review
"Smith, former consul chief in Havana, argues that the U.S. has repeatedly misread Castro's intentions, partly out of bureaucratic myopia and partly out of blind adherence to official anti-Castro sentiment. He offers a rare up-close view of Castro, whom he describes as a pragmatist willing to come to terms with the neighboring superpower. However, the evidence supporting his view is thin; in fact, Cuba's behavior from 1959 until today tends to support the opposite conclusion, that Cuba is more the willing agent of the Soviet Union and less an innocent victim of Washington's intransigence." Reviewed by Robert Jackson, Virginia Quarterly Review (Copyright 2006 Virginia Quarterly Review)