That Infernal Little Cuban Republic: The United States and the Cuban Revolution: Lars Schoultz: 9780807871898: Amazon.com: Books
That Infernal Little Cuban Republic: The United States and the Cuban RevolutionPaperback – February 1, 2011
by Lars Schoultz (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars 6 customer reviews
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Editorial Reviews
Review
Offers a more nuanced and potentially enlightening window upon the main obstacle to better US relations in the region. . . . Valuable.--The Latin American Review of Books
[This] book is delicious to read, and will inform, entertain and challenge a non-specialist public as well as a more scholarly one.--Canadian Journal of History
This magisterial volume will become the new standard account of U.S.-Cuban relations. . . . Lucid and witty, filled with penetrating observations. . . . A delight to read. . . . Indispensable.--Hispanic American Historical Review
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. . . . Highly recommended.--Choice
An excellent book. . . . Will become a major reference work on US policy toward Cuba.--The Sacramento Book Review
Schoultz has an unparalleled grasp of U.S. sources--from government documents to Congressional records, unpublished memoirs and interviews with protagonists American and Cuban. His analysis is lucid and thought-provoking, and he writes exceedingly well. Reading the book is a pleasure. It is, by far, the best book on U.S. relations with Castro's Cuba. . . . A superb book.--American Historical Review
This narrative history of a century of US policy towards Cuba is impressively researched and splendidly written. It becomes the instant standard on its subject. Its emphasis is on US policy since the late 1950s, its sources are principally US archives, and its sweep is comprehensive. Schoultz has a knack for identifying in the historical record the telling phrase, the apt metaphor, the outrageous statement and the powerful insight.--Journal of Latin American Studies
An approachable, deeply satisfying narrative with a clear-eyed and persuasive critique of U.S. policy toward Cuba and, more broadly, of U.S. policy toward any weaker nation that has ever stubbornly asserted its sovereignty. . . . A page turner. . . . A gripping, expertly told story of one of the most complicated foreign policy relationships in the western hemisphere.--Publishers Weekly starred review
Prodigious research across many archives has produced a tour de force that will stand as the field's preeminent diplomatic history until the papers of the most recent U.S. presidents (and perhaps also of Cuba's leaders) become available sometime in the future.--Latin American Research Review
A monumental study of U.S.-Cuba relations . . . based on an extensive use of primary sources. It will undoubtedly become an indispensable tool for anyone interested in this topic.--The Journal of American History
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Review
The United States has normal relations with China and Vietnam. Why not with Cuba? As Lars Schoultz so well sums it up in his excellent and highly readable book, it is because the United States cannot get over its obsessive uplifting mentality, i.e., the belief that it is the sacred duty of the United States to uplift the Cuban people. Even most Cubans who want change believe they must seek it on their own. Schoultz expresses no optimism that the United States will get over its obsession any time soon.--Wayne S. Smith, former Chief of the U.S. Interests Section in Havana (1979-82)
That Infernal Little Cuban Republic is a superb chronicle of and commentary on the history of U.S.-Cuba relations. Lars Schoultz explains U.S. Cuba policy as, on balance, a failure. Tellingly, the profound depth of that failure since the end of the Cold War shames the great majority of U.S. citizens, including this one, for tolerating such special interest folly disguised in the cloak of freedom and democracy.--Lawrence B. Wilkerson, Visiting Harriman Professor of Government and Public Policy at the College of William and Mary, former chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell
The detail, the vivid writing, the close focus on decision makers, and the wealth of new information combine to make a terrific book for scholars, students, tourists, and policy makers. This book should become the standard reference work on U.S. policy toward Cuba.--Philip Brenner, American University
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Product details
Paperback: 756 pages
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press; New edition edition (February 1, 2011)
Language: English
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6 customer reviews
4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5 stars
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Showing 1-5 of 6 reviews
Top Reviews
Bruce Jefferson
5.0 out of 5 starsNot your usuall canned history. It is apparant the ...January 29, 2016
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Not your usuall canned history. It is apparant the author did an enormous ammount of original research to put this book together. The reader is rewarded with a fresh view of the history of the century of relations between the US and Cuba.
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Bernice L. Youtz
4.0 out of 5 starsUS/Cuban relationsApril 12, 2013
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
Particularly liked history of U.S. involvement 1898 to present. Remarkably well balanced: does not whitewash Cuban history of last century but certainly reminds us of the less than admirable motives of US administrations and Congress.
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S. J. Snyder
5.0 out of 5 starsExcellent, in-depth, snarky take on US-Cuban relationsMarch 28, 2009
Format: Hardcover
Before I read this book, I knew that Southern leaders had already cast eyes on Cuba in the 1850s, as the Ostend Manifesto showed. But, I did NOT know that way back in the early 1820s, under the administration of President Monroe and Sec'y of State John Quincy Adams, we landed troops on Cuba for the first time. Is it any wonder that Cuba has leery concerns about our proclaimed best intentions?
As for the "snarky" part, Schoultz is a history prof at North Carolina, and the book gets blurbs from folks like former Colin Powell assistant Larry Wilkerson. So, we're not talking alt-weekly newspaper snarky. But, for an academic-level history, we are.
Here's a sample, from page 209:
"Although he could barely find Brazil on a map, (Dick) Goodwin..."
On the serious side, after a few chapters of buildup, Schoultz gets us to Batista, then Castro. He doesn't turn a blind eye to Castro's nationalization, or other early issues but does present a symmpathetic view of his rise to power. He also shows the obsessiveness, first of the Kennedy brothers (and Dick Goodwin's Camelot torch-carrying for them), then of LBJ in full macho bully pose.
Since this is about US-Cuban relations and written from a US point of view, the history is framed from that way. After the introductory and background chapters, we get 1959 and Castro's success, 1960 and Eisenhower's attempt to grasp the situation, 1961 and the Bay of Pigs, 1962 and the missile crisis, and "state sponsored terrorism" (which is a totally true description) to wrap up the Kennedy years.
After that, we get one chapter devoted to each US Presidential Administration, an easy way to focus this narrative.
An excellent epilogue sums up how American political leadership still "doesn't get it" about Cuba in many ways. In essence, long before George W. Bush's ideology-driven invasion of Iraq, when we haven't marginalized Castro's Cuba, assistance we have offered has tended to have strings of Wilsonian idealism attached to it that we've never applied to even Russia/USSR or China.
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8 people found this helpful
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David A. Teich
5.0 out of 5 starsA great overview of modern US-Cuban relationsJuly 26, 2009
Format: Hardcover
The author barely touches the pre-Eisenhower days, so it's not really a review of the full history of US-Cuban relations. Still, for anyone interested in why the US has MFN status with China and Russia, trades with many dictatorships much worse than Cubas, and yet has embargoed Cuba for so long, the book clearly shows how that has happened.
Chapters are organized by Presidential Administration and show the continuity through administrations and across party lines, of current policy. The policy seems to be a confluence of the government picking on whom it can, regardless of balance or threat, the perceived political power of a minority in southern Florida and,well..., hmmm, that about covers it.
That trade would have had a much larger impact upon Cuba, a small country just off our border, than it has had with much larger countries much further away, seems to not be a clear enough message for politicos to comprehend.
The one area the author could have drawn out better is the link between the first large group of refugees, the ones most vocal about overthrowing Castro, and the Batista regime. Most weren't the least interested in Democracy when their Fascist leader was in power and they were getting all the perks that came from that. They lost their power by refusing to embrace democracy, helping push the regular Cubans to Castro, and then used the word "democracy" to try to punish the Cuban people even more for getting tired of them.
It's one reason why their descendants, as shown in polls pointed out by the author, are much less anti-Castro and pro-embargo. They don't have the link to Batista and can look more honestly at the situation.
However, that's a minor point. The book covers more than fifty years of relationship in detail, following the words and actions of many people. It's a must read for anyone trying to comprehend the issue.
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6 people found this helpful
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Philip Brenner
5.0 out of 5 starsNew Standard Reference WorkJanuary 30, 2010
Format: Hardcover
Do not be intimidated by the number of pages in That Infernal Little Cuban Republic. Lars Schoultz's study of US-Cuban relations is a remarkably enjoyable book to read, whether you open it as a reference for details about a particular episode or digest it from end to end. Based on primary documents, a large number of interviews, and excellent secondary sources from a variety of perspectives, the book should be considered the standard reference work on US-Cuban relations since 1959. Undoubtedly due to space considerations, Schoultz covers the relationship prior to 1959 relatively briefly. Still those chapters provide a clear introduction to the book's theme, which is well developed, that the primary source of tension between the United States and Cuba is the asymmetry between the two. To US policy makers, Cuba is a small country whose responsibility is to do the bidding of the United States, and when it doesn't, they view Cuba as an infernal little republic. In contrast, Cuban officials view the United States as a hovering giant who has the capability of crushing Cuban independence, and has repeatedly tried to do so since 1959. That Infernal Little Republic is a superb book for classroom use, and will reward anyone with even a passing interest in US-Cuban and US-Latin American relations.
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That Infernal Little Cuban Republic: The United States and the Cuban Revolution
by
4.10 · Rating details · 30 ratings · 5 reviews
Lars Schoultz offers a comprehensive chronicle of U.S. policy toward the Cuban Revolution. Using a rich array of documents and firsthand interviews with U.S. and Cuban officials, he tells the story of the attempts and failures of ten U.S. administrations to end the Cuban Revolution. He concludes that despite the overwhelming advantage in size and power that the United States enjoys over its neighbor, the Cubans' historical insistence on their right to self-determination has been a constant thorn in the side of American administrations, influenced both U.S. domestic politics and foreign policy on a much larger stage, and resulted in a freeze in diplomatic relations of unprecedented longevity. (less)
Hardcover, 745 pages
Published April 1st 2009 by University of North Carolina Press
Original Title
That Infernal Little Cuban Republic: The United States and the Cuban Revolution
ISBN
080783260X (ISBN13: 9780807832608)
Edition Language
English
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Mar 03, 2013Sean rated it really liked it
A remarkably thorough summary of America's reprehensibly-misguided policies toward Cuba. Using the actual words of American and Cuban officials, Schoultz guides the reader chronologically from the origins of the Cuban Revolution up to 2008. The book is at its strongest and most fluid in its first half, but gets mired in legislative drudgery as it gets into the 90s. The author is clearly an opponent of the status quo--a position I entirely agree with--but he would have done better to detail more clearly Cuba's domestic front. The conclusion in particular oddly replicates the very same behavior it castigates embargo proponents for, focusing on Castro when the Cuban public should be taken into account.
As indicated in my rating, however, these criticisms diminish what could have been a great book to one that is merely especially good and indispensably informative for those looking for a crash-course in the two countries' tumultuous relations. (less)
As indicated in my rating, however, these criticisms diminish what could have been a great book to one that is merely especially good and indispensably informative for those looking for a crash-course in the two countries' tumultuous relations. (less)
Jun 24, 2014Lamont Cranston rated it it was amazing
Excellent history of U.S. foreign policy toward Cuba from late 19th century through the administration of President George H. W. Bush (2007).
A phenomenaly good book, it shows you exactly what the relationship between America and Cuba has been since before the Cuban revolution. America is a lying bully with a superiority complex when it comes to Cuba and indeed many of it's foreign relations.
Also there was a lot more racism then I thought there would be for some reason. That just made me disgusted even more with the Americans. Something I didn't think fully possible at this point.
A great read, it's well written and it really explains things in an interesting and readable way. The only downside is the subject matter itself which made me want to take the book, go back in time or simply down to America and beat the idiots over the head with it.
Ahaha, like that would even work. (less)
Also there was a lot more racism then I thought there would be for some reason. That just made me disgusted even more with the Americans. Something I didn't think fully possible at this point.
A great read, it's well written and it really explains things in an interesting and readable way. The only downside is the subject matter itself which made me want to take the book, go back in time or simply down to America and beat the idiots over the head with it.
Ahaha, like that would even work. (less)
Mar 23, 2016AskHistorians added it
Perhaps the best synthesis of US-Cuba relations currently available. Schoultz offers a very nuanced approach to a very polarizing topic. His book is well researched, balancing archival and specialist sources, and is a great first step to those interested in reading more in depth analyses of specific moments in the last half century of Cuban-American relations.
Excellent political history of U.S. policy, with very close attention to detail and sprinkled throughout with humor.
