In the early 1960s, President John F. Kennedy sought to maintain an open dialogue with Brazil with the intent to…
The Cuban Missile Crisis, October 14-28, 1962
The early years of the Kennedy Administration proved to be a tense time in relations with the Soviet Union. Kennedy…
A Flood of Cuban Migrants — The Mariel Boatlift, April-October 1980
One of the most contentious events in mass migration started on April 1, 1980 when several Cubans took control of…
Books, Defectors, and Song — The Cuban Missile Crisis, as Seen from Moscow
The Soviet Union, in Churchill’s famous words, was a “riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma”; as such it made…
Re-establishing Ties with Cuba, 1977
“Cuba ought to be free and independent, and the government should be turned over to the Cuban people.” That in…
Castro’s Cuba – The Early Days
On January 1, 1959, after a sustained armed revolt led by Fidel Castro and others took control over most of…
The Sandinistas Return: Navigating the 2006 Nicaraguan Election
Few events illustrate the challenges of American diplomacy like a foreign election. Diplomats walk a fine line between promoting American…
State Department Response to the Holocaust—Jewish Refugees and Attempts to Enter the United States during WWII
In 1938, in the shadow of the Great Depression came rumblings from Europe of a great war and with it…
Ousted from Office for 47 Hours: the Failed 2002 Venezuelan Coup
Coups often do not go exactly as planned. While some result in military despotism and others in democratic reforms, some…
Combating Illicit Trade in Ancient Art to Protect the Cultural Heritage of Mankind
The study of ancient art in museum collections has long been a stimulus to the human spirit and an important…