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Chapter Overview
Chapter 1: AudiobookHub Recommendation
Chapter 2: Modern U.S.–Cuban ties began with the revolution in 1959.
Chapter 3: By Eisenhower’s end, formal diplomatic negotiations were no longer considered a viable option in Washington.
Chapter 4: Despite ramping up covert efforts against Castro, John F. Kennedy sustained ongoing peaceful talks.
Chapter 5: Prospects for normalization stalled during the Cuban Missile Crisis, but prisoner negotiations left the door open afterward.
Chapter 6: James Donovan and a determined reporter kept the possibility of ongoing negotiations alive.
Chapter 7: John F. Kennedy’s assassination, and the ensuing Johnson administration, hampered ongoing negotiating efforts badly.
Chapter 8: Richard Nixon rejected talks with Cuba; Henry Kissinger harbored different ideas entirely.
Chapter 9: Henry Kissinger worked to sustain back-channel talks throughout the turbulent period of Gerald R. Ford’s presidency.
Chapter 10: President Jimmy Carter pursued talks with Cuba, but a crisis ultimately ended his term on a sour note.
Chapter 11: Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush negotiated with Cuba only when compelled.
Chapter 12: For Bill Clinton, politics drove dealings with Cuba.
Chapter 13: Following a deadly incident, Clinton concluded his presidency with improved ties between the United States and Cuba.
Chapter 14: George W. Bush maintained pressure on Cuba, while Obama advanced a different approach entirely.
Chapter 15: Though Obama’s first term fell short on progress, his second term opened with encouraging signs indeed.
Description
With unprecedented access to declassified documents, Back Channel to Cuba (2014) reveals the long and bumpy road of diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba. Find out how 50 years of unsuccessful foreign policy have kept Cuba and the United States at odds despite the efforts of secret, back-channel negotiations that have been taking place since the Eisenhower administration.
Who Should Listen
- History buffs interested in one of the longest US conflicts
- Politicos wanting a behind-the-scenes look at foreign policy
- Aspiring diplomats in search of the dos and don’ts of diplomacy