Our woman in Havana : a diplomat's chronicle of America's long struggle with Castro's Cuba / Ambassador Vicki Huddleston ; foreword by Carlos Gutierrez.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Huddleston, Vicki, author.

Contributor:

Gutierrez, Carlos M., 1953- writer of foreword.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Huddleston, Vicki.

United States--Foreign relations--Cuba.

United States.

International relations.

Cuba.

Cuba--Foreign relations--United States.

United States--Foreign relations--1989-.

Cuba--Politics and government--1990-.

Politics and government.

Physical Description:

304 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : The Overlook Press, 2018.

Summary:

Our Woman in Havana chronicles the past several decades of US-Cuba relations from the bird's-eye view of State Department veteran and longtime Cuba hand Vicki Huddleston, our top diplomat in Havana under Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush.After the US embassy in Havana was closed in 1961, relations between the two countries broke off. A thaw came in 1977, with the opening of a de facto embassy in Havana, the US Interests Section, where Huddleston would later serve. In her compelling memoir of a diplomat at work, she tells gripping stories of face-to-face encounters with Fidel Castro and the initiatives she undertook, like the transistor radios she furnished to ordinary Cubans. With inside accounts of many dramatic episodes, like the tumultuous Elián González custody battle, Huddleston also evokes the charm of the island country, and her warm affection for the Cuban people.Uniquely qualified to explain the inner workings of US-Cuba relations, Huddleston examines the Obama administration's diplomatic opening of 2014, the mysterious "sonic" brain and hearing injuries suffered by US and Canadian diplomats who were serving in Havana, and the rescinding of the diplomatic opening under the Trump administration.Huddleston recounts missed opportunities for détente, and the myths, misconceptions, and lies that have long pervaded US-Cuba relations. With Raúl Castro scheduled to step down in 2018, she also peers into the future, when for the first time in more than six decades no one named Castro will be Cuba's leader.Our Woman in Havana is essential reading for everyone interested in Cuba, including the thousands of Americans visiting the island every year, observers who study the stormy relationship with our near neighbor, and policymakers navigating the nuances and challenges of the US-Cuba relationship.

Contents:

Part I 1989-1993: Cuban Affairs, US State Department; Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton 17

1 I Am the Director of Cuban Affairs 19

2 The Legacy of Terror for Cubans and Americans 35

Part II 1999-2000: US Interests Section, Havana; President Bill Clinton 47

3 Our Woman in Havana 49

4 A Provocation 61

5 Fidel Is Cuba 73

6 The Last Battle 85

7 Fidel's Last Hurrah 103

Part III 2001-2002: US Interests Section; President George W. Bush 119

8 Regime Change: Ours 121

9 From Fidel with Love 135

10 Havana, My Afghan Hound 149

11 The Best of Enemies: Guantanamo Naval Base 167

12 Fidel's Charm Offensive 183

13 My Little Radios 201

14 The President and the Dissident 219

15 Mr. W. versus Mr. Castro 231

Part IV 2002 and Beyond 245

16 Myths, Contradictions, and Lies: Bush, Obama, and Trump 247

17 The Future Is Havana, Not Miami 265.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

146831579X

9781468315790

OCLC:

1019634557