home > by publication type > podcasts > Julia Sweig on Cuba Policy
Email
| Interviewee: | Julia E. Sweig |
|---|---|
| Interviewer: | Stephanie Hanson |
January 24, 2008
Fidel Castro’s long illness leads many to speculate that political change might be on the horizon in Cuba. U.S. policy toward Cuba, including a longstanding economic embargo, has been static for decades. But Julia E. Sweig, director for Latin America studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, says 2009 will offer an opportunity for the United States and Cuba to “get onto better footing.” Though Sweig says the executive branch has lost leverage to Congress on Cuba policy, she says the new president should accept current leader Raul Castro’s offers to talk about bilateral issues, such as security, oil exploration, and drug and human smuggling. If the White House sets a new tone on Cuba policy, Sweig believes Congress will follow suit. She says such changes could have “very important symbolic resonance regionally and even globally.”
Sweig has served as an adviser to Sen. Hillary Clinton’s campaign. Her views on Cuba do not reflect those of any political campaign.
Weigh in on this issue by emailing CFR.org.
I understand that I may access this podcast solely for my personal use. Any other use of the file and its content, including display, distribution, reproduction, or alteration in any form for any purpose, whether commercial, noncommercial, educational, or promotional, is expressly prohibited without the written permission of the copyright owner, the Council on Foreign Relations. For more information, write webmaster@cfr.org.
In Inside the Cuban Revolution, Council Senior Fellow Julia Sweig shatters the mythology surrounding the Cuban Revolution in a compelling revisionist history.
In Friendly Fire, which the New York Times Book Review calls a “sweeping and pungent review of abrasive American foreign policies,” Sweig examines the origins of anti-Americanism over the last half-century.
In The Closing of the American Border, Edward Alden goes behind the scenes to tell the story of the Bush administration’s struggle to balance security and openness in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
In Termites in the Trading System, Jagdish Bhagwati reveals how the rapid spread of preferential trade agreements endangers the world trading system.
America Between the Wars explores how the decisions and debates of the years between the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Twin Towers shaped the events, arguments, and politics of the world we live in today.
Complete list of CFR Books.
Copyright 2008 by the Council on Foreign Relations. All Rights Reserved.
Global Economy 