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Montreal Book Launch and Discussion: Cuba-U.S. Relations

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Join us as we launch CUBA-U.S. RELATIONS:

OBAMA AND BEYOND by Arnold August

Trump and Cuba

NOUVEAU sur les relations Cuba/États-Unis. Le 29 septembre, les États-Unis ont décidé de retirer 27 personnes de son ambassade à La Havane en laissant une équipe de squelette. (Il a été rouvert à l’été 2015 à la suite de l’accord obtenu par les présidents Raúl Castro et Barack Obama le 17 décembre 2014.) Le 3 octobre, à 9 heures, le Département d’état étatsunien a téléphoné à l’ambassadeur cubain à Washington pour l’informer que 15 diplomates de Cuba doivent quitter les États-Unis dans les sept jours. Le même jour, à 15 heures, le ministre cubain des Affaires étrangères, Bruno Rodríguez, a tenu une conférence de presse à La Havane. Il a de nouveau rejeté la fausse accusation d’attaques « sonores» contre les diplomates étatsuniens.

 

Qu’est-ce qui se passe? Quels sont les faits?

 

Ce sera le thème principal de la présentation de Arnold August contextualisée dans l’analyse du livre sur la politique de Trump envers Cuba. Écoutez et discutez avec l’auteur Montréalais et l’expert sur Cuba alors qu’il lance son troisième livre sur Cuba dans sa ville natale.

 

NEW on Cuba-U.S. Relations! On September 29, the US decided to withdraw 27 people from its Embassy in Havana leaving only a skeleton staff. (It was re-opened in the summer of 2015 a result of the accord reached by Presidents Raúl Castro and Barack Obama on December 17, 2014.) On October 3 at 9 AM the U.S. State Department phoned the Cuban Ambassador to Washington informing him that 15 Cuba diplomats must leave the US within seven days. On the same day, at 3 PM, the Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodríguez held a Press Conference in Havana. He once again strongly rejected the false accusation of “sonic” attacks against US diplomats.

 

What is happening? What are the facts?

 

This will be the main theme of his presentation contextualized in the book’s analysis of Trump’s Cuba policy. Listen to and discuss with Montreal author and Cuba expert Arnold August as he launches his third book on Cuba in his home town.

Montreal author Arnold August.

Refreshments will be served.

Admission is free.

Venez au lancement du livre CUBA-U.S. RELATIONS:

OBAMA AND BEYOND

Trump et Cuba

par l’auteur Montréalais Arnold August.

Des boissons seront servies.

Entrée libre.

Librairie Paragraphe Bookstore / Fernwood Publishing

Wednesday/Mercredi October 11

6 PM to 7:30 PM

Librairie Paragraphe Bookstore

2220 McGill College Avenue

Montreal H3A 3P9

All author’s royalties from the sale of the book at this event will be donated to the Cuba Irma Recovery fund.

Toutes les redevances de l’auteur provenant de la vente du livre à cet événement seront versées au fonds de récupération de Irma Cuba.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Arnold August has an M.A. in political science from McGill University, Montreal, where he resides. An accomplished journalist, he contributes articles in English and Spanish to websites in the United States, Canada, Cuba, Latin America and Europe. Since 1997, he has spent extended periods in Cuba pursuing his intensive investigations.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Against the background of the history of Cuba–U.S. interconnectedness and in light of Obama’s initiative and Trump’s election, Arnold August deals with the relationship between the two countries, delving into past and current U.S. aggression against Cuba’s artistic field, ideology and politics. Based on twenty years of fieldwork in and investigation of Cuba, this book provides a unique perspective on the island’s diverse approaches to the cultural war being waged by the U.S. and illustrates the heterogeneous nature of Cuban society.

A PROPOS DE L’AUTEUR:

Titulaire d’une maîtrise en science politique de l’Université McGill, Arnold August réside à Montréal. Journaliste accompli, ses articles ont paru en anglais, en espagnol et certains en français sur des sites web aux États-Unis, au Canada, à Cuba, en Amérique latine et en Europe. Ses recherches l’ont conduit à effectuer de longs séjours à Cuba depuis 1997.

À PROPOS DU LIVRE:

Dans le contexte de l’histoire tissée entre Cuba et les États-Unis et à la lumière de l’initiative prise par Obama ainsi que de l’élection de Trump, Arnold August traite des relations entre les deux pays, fouillant le passé et analysant l’agression en cours des États-Unis contre les arts, l’idéologie et le système politique cubains. Ce livre, fondé sur un travail de terrain et des recherches menés depuis vingt ans, offre une perspective unique sur les diverses formes que revêt la guerre culturelle menée par les États-Unis et illustre la nature hétérogène de la société cubaine.

Book Foreword by Dr. Keith Ellis.

Book Introduction by Ricardo Alarcón.

Message de salutations de Mara Bilbao Diáz, Consule Général de la République de Cuba, Montréal.

Greetings from Mara Bilbao Diáz, Consul Genaral de la République de Cuba, Montréal.

Message de salutations de Nidia Fajardo, Consule générale de la République bolivarienne du Venezuela à Montréal:  “Remarks on the Analysis of Venezuela Presented in the Book.”

Greetings from Nidia Fajardo, Consul General of the Bolivarian  Republic  of Venezuela in Montreal /

The publication features interviews with Cuban-based U.S.–Cuba experts Jesús Arboleya Cervera, Esteban Morales Domínguez, Elier Ramírez Cañedo, Iroel Sánchez Espinosa and Luis Toledo Sande.

SOME OF THE PRAISE AS PUBLISHED IN THE BOOK:

In his third book on Cuba Arnold August highlights the many roadblocks on the way to normalization. Unlike many mainstream cubanologists who are blind to imperial arrogance, he places the onus squarely on U.S. prejudices. Regime change remains the ultimate objective under a new disguise.  A cultural war has been targeting the younger generations. New Plattists [annexationists] are showing up. August’s deft analysis, firmly grounded in a prolonged exposure to Cuban history and debates while mapping out the possible future developments, makes for an enlightening book.

— Claude Morin, professor (retired) of Latin American history, Université de Montréal.

Any open-minded discussion about the asymmetrical Cuba–U.S. relations should start with this highly readable, informative book.

— James D. Cockcroft, three-time Fulbright Scholar

This book could not have been timelier. With Fidel Castro’s death focusing outside attention on Cuba’s future and with Trump’s election throwing U.S.–Cuban “normalization” into question, Arnold August contests the common assumptions and public rhetoric about Cuban politics and about that “normalization.”

— Antoni Kapcia, University of Nottingham

August provides the reader with a bridge across time and nations to understand the changes that have led to the “normalization” of Cuba–U.S. relations and serves as a guide to the Trump future.

— Helen Yaffe, London School of Economics

An expert on Cuba, Arnold August offers a revealing view of the conflict between Washington and Havana and the foreign policy of the United States vis-à-vis the island.

— Salim Lamrani, Sorbonne Paris IV University

Here at last for English-speaking readers is a full overview of U.S. relations with Cuba from Cuban points of view. The book is essential background for understanding whatever President Trump has in store.

— Cliff DuRand, Morgan State University

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https://www.facebook.com/events/157775124776584/

TEN ACADEMICS’ PRAISE FOR CUBA–U.S. RELATIONS AS PUBLISHED IN THE BOOK

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TEN ACADEMICS’ PRAISE FOR CUBAUSRELATIONS AS PUBLISHED IN THE BOOK BY ARNOLDAUGUST

Introduction: Ricardo Alarcón, Foreword: Keith Ellis

Any open-minded discussion about the asymmetrical CubaUSRelations should start with this highly readable, informative book by ArnoldAugust

— James D. Cockcroft, three-time Fulbright Scholar

An expert on Cuba, ArnoldAugust offers a revealing view of the conflict between Washington and Havana and the foreign policy of the United States vis-à-vis the island.

— Salim Lamrani, Sorbonne Paris IV University

This book could not have been timelier. With Fidel Castro’s death focusing outside attention on Cuba’s future and with Trump’s election throwing U.S.–Cuban “normalization” into question, Arnold August contests the common assumptions and public rhetoric about Cuban politics and about that “normalization.”

— Antoni Kapcia, University of Nottingham

August provides the reader with a bridge across time and nations to understand the changes that have led to the “normalization” of CubaUSRelations and serves as a guide to the Trump future.

— Helen Yaffe, London School of Economics

Here at last for English-speaking readers is a full overview of U.S. relations with Cuba from Cuban points of view. The book is essential background for understanding whatever President Trump has in store.

— Cliff DuRand, Morgan State University

Arnold August is one of the foremost experts on Cuba and the 1959 Revolution, which continues to shake the world. In this new book, August puts forth a valuable, detailed account of U.S.–Cuba relations dating back to 1783 and continuing to the present time. August shows that this relationship has centred on the U.S.’s attempts, sometimes successfully, to dominate Cuba and exploit it as its own playground and, in the case of Guantánamo, as a maximum-security prison. As he shows, the 1959 Revolution broke the U.S. hold over Cuba, and the U.S. has tried desperately, and many times violently, to regain its control over the island. Obama opened diplomatic ties with Cuba for the first time in 50 years. August explains what this opening means for both countries, and where he sees U.S.–Cuba relations heading after the death of Fidel Castro at age 90 and the rise of U.S. President Donald Trump. For those who want a fresh and reasoned perspective on Cuba and U.S. relations — and with it a perspective very different from that which we get from the mainstream Western media — this book is a must-read.

— Daniel Kovalik, teacher of international human rights, University of Pittsburgh, School of Law

In his third book, August highlights the many roadblocks on the way to normalization. Unlike many mainstream “cubanologists”, who are blind to imperial arrogance, he places the onus squarely on U.S. prejudices. Regime change remains the ultimate objective under a new disguise. A cultural war has been targeting the younger generations. New Plattists [those in favour of annexation to the U.S.] are showing up. August’s deft analysis, firmly grounded in a prolonged exposure to Cuban history and debates while mapping out the possible future developments, makes for an enlightening book.

— Claude Morin, professor (retired) of Latin American history, Université de Montréal

Arnold August’s new book on Cuba dispels the propaganda and myths perpetuated by both the U.S. corporate media and the Obama administration and provides valuable insights into what we might expect from a Trump government in the post-Fidel era. August lays bare the realities of Obama’s policies toward Cuba by methodically revealing how his administration’s engagement with the island constituted a shift in tactics while retaining Washington’s decades-long objective of achieving regime change to bring the socialist nation back into the U.S. sphere of influence. It also highlights our narrow definition of democracy by challenging the repeated assertions that Cuba is a dictatorship. This book is a must-read for understanding the constantly evolving imperialist strategies of the United States, not only in Cuba, but throughout the world in the 21st century.

— Garry Leech, independent journalist and teacher of international politics, Cape Breton University

Arnold August’s bristling collection of interventions vigorously debunks U.S.-centric misrepresentations of Cuban society and of Obama’s new ‘regime change’ strategy. It also engages critically with Cuban intellectuals and bloggers fighting in the ‘Cultural War,’ challenging the Revolution’s cohesion since the 2014 ‘normalization’ process began. With its withering anti-imperialism and comradely criticism of Cuban realities, this timely book will open many eyes and raise many hackles.

— Steve Ludlam, senior lecturer (retired), University of Sheffield, and editorial board member, International Journal of Cuban Studies. Steve has since passed away. A great loss. We miss him.

In Cuba–U.S. Relations: Obama and Beyond, Arnold August provides an incisive analysis of the process that led to the rapprochement between the United States and Cuba under the leadership of Raúl Castro and Barack Obama, as well as further developments since. The book is a timely and valuable source of clear analysis of Cuba–U.S. relations at the dawn of the Trump era, and an indispensable tome for activists and others interested in furthering normalized relations between Cuba and the U.S. and asserting Cuba’s right to self-determination and sovereignty over all its territory.

— Pepe Ross, adjunct professor, University of Albany, State University of New York

Now Available in the UK and Ireland from CentralBooks (U.K.)

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Now available in the UK and Ireland from CentralBooks (U.K.)

Cuba–U.S. Relations: Obama and Beyond, by Arnold August.

Includes analysis on Trump.

Arnold August’s bristling collection of interventions vigorously debunks

U.S.-centric misrepresentations of Cuban society and of Obama’s new

‘regime change’ strategy. It also engages critically with Cuban intellectuals

and bloggers fighting in the ‘Cultural War,’ challenging the Revolution’s

cohesion since the 2014 ‘normalization’ process began. With its withering

anti-imperialism and comradely criticism of Cuban realities, this timely

book will open many eyes and raise many hackles.

— Steve Ludlam, senior lecturer (retired), University of Sheffield,

and editorial board member, International Journal of Cuban Studies

This book could not have been more timely. With Fidel Castro’s death focusing outside attention on Cuba’s future and with Trump’s election throwing U.S.–Cuban “normalization” into question, Arnold August contests the common assumptions and public rhetoric about Cuban politics and about that “normalization.”

— Antoni Kapcia, University of Nottingham

August provides the reader with a bridge across time and nations to understand the changes that have led to the “normalization” of Cuba–U.S. relations and serves as a guide to the Trump future.

— Helen Yaffe, London School of Economics

Here at last for English-speaking readers is a full overview of U.S. relations with Cuba from Cuban points of view. The book is essential background for understanding whatever President Trump has in store.

— Cliff DuRand, Morgan State University

http://www.centralbooks.com/cuba-u-s-relations.html

For Further Information

www.CubaUSRelations.com

TrumpCubaPolicy

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TrumpCubaPolicy: What Will Happen in Coming Months?

“TrumpCubaPolicy cannot take effect until the new regulations are established, a process that, according to the White House Fact Sheet, ‘may take several months.’”

 By Arnold August*, June 23, 2017

The official June 16 statement was barely uttered when the majority nationwide opposition to the TrumpCubaPolicy was once again reignited. Indeed, it was already extremely active and vocal before the Little Havana, Miami venue and date were announced on June 9. By stage-managing the event in Little Havana, Trump was preaching to the choir, one that does not even include the rest of Florida, where the majority of Cuban-Americans oppose the blockade, or at least the Obama policy of making the blockade somewhat more flexible. Trump’s  trademark manner of hand-picking events to spread the word across the country will not work. His Cold War rhetoric will not detract the forces that want to increase trade and travel to Cuba.

However, Trump’s policy is not yet set in stone. According to the June 16 White House Fact Sheet on Cuba Policy, the Treasury and Commerce Departments will begin the process of issuing new regulations only in 30 days. His policies cannot take effect until the new regulations are established, a process that, according to the Fact Sheet, “may take several months.” A lot can happen within this time frame.

Why Now?

Read full article here:

http://bit.ly/2rzeWIb

My book available at Amazon

USCubaRelationsExpert. Trump to Miami June 16: Cuba policy

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USCubaRelationsExpert. Trump to unveil his Cuba Policy on June 16 in Miami.

“An expert on Cuba, Arnold August offers a revealing view of the conflict between Washington and Havana and the foreign policy of the United States vis-à-vis the island.”

— Salim Lamrani, Sorbonne Paris IV University

“Arnold August is one of the foremost experts on Cuba and the 1959 Revolution…He puts forth a valuable, detailed account of US Cuba relations dating back to 1783 and continuing to the present time….August explains what this opening [Obama] means for both countries, and where he sees U.S.–Cuba relations heading after the death of Fidel Castro at age 90 and the rise of U.S. President Donald Trump. For those who want a fresh and reasoned perspective on Cuba and U.S. relations — and with it a perspective very different from that which we get from the mainstream Western media — this book is a must-read.”

— Daniel Kovalik, teacher of international human rights, University of Pittsburgh, School of Law

My latest book Cuba–U.S. Relations: Obama and Beyond, including an analysis of the Trump Cuba policy is available in the U.S. from Amazon and in Canada from my publisher Fernwood Publishing. For more Endorsements, Table of Contents and About Arnold August:

www.cubausrelations.com