Podcast appearances and mentions of julia sweig

Lady Bird, a whip-smart Southern woman, met Lindon Johnson in Austin, Texas where he proposed to her at the end of their first date (she said no!). Eventually, the pair married and moved to Washington DC. Today, Sharon talks with author Julia Sweig about her newest book, Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight. The research and writing took Julia over six years, as she meticulously poured over the details of not only Lady Bird's life, but also the 1960s era and the state of the nation at the time. Discover her real first name, the complexities of her marriage to LBJ, her relationship with the Kennedys, environmentalism, and her propensity to document the details of her life. Credits: Host and Executive Producer: Sharon McMahon Supervising Producer: Melanie Buck Parks Audio Producer: Craig Thompson To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

New Year's Eve, 1958. Cuba's president, Fulgencio Batista, is throwing his annual New Year's Eve party at his home in Havana. It's usually a blowout. But this year, the vibes... aren't so great.  Government officials and Cuban elites drink champagne and pick at arroz con pollo as the clock ticks closer to midnight. But there's a palpable anxiety in the air. They aren't just counting down to the end of the year - they may be counting down the final minutes of Cuba as they know it. A revolution is underway, and rebel forces, led by a young Fidel Castro, have taken city after city throughout 1958. As the year comes to a close, Havana – the last stronghold of Batista's government – is in their crosshairs.  How did the country revolt against a ruthless dictator? And what happened in the final weeks of 1958 that brought down Batista's government and ushered in a new Cuba? Special thanks to Lillian Guerra, professor of Cuban and Caribbean history at the University of Florida and author of Heroes, Martyrs, and Political Messiahs in Revolutionary Cuba; and Julia Sweig, author of Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know. To see the coded advertisements and underground pamphlets from the 03C Movement: historythisweekpodcast.com To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

[REBROADCAST FROM April 29, 2021] For the final installment in this edition of our "Full Bio" series, Julia Sweig discusses the Johnsons' final years in office and Lady Bird Johnson's legacy. Sweig is author of the book Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight and host of the podcast, In Plain Sight: Lady Bird Johnson.

[REBROADCAST FROM April 26, 2021] Today, we kick off the latest edition of our “Full Bio” series. All this week, we'll be speaking with author and host Julia Sweig about her book, Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight, as well as her podcast, In Plain Sight: Lady Bird Johnson, which draws on over 123 hours of Johnson's audio diaries, many of them unheard until now. In this first installment, we discuss Lady Bird Johnson's upbringing and how she met Lyndon B.

[REBROADCAST FROM April 27, 2021] For the second installment in this edition of our "Full Bio" series, Julia Sweig joins us to discuss the Kennedy assassination and how it led to the Johnsons' ascent to the highest office. Sweig is author of the book Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight and host of the podcast, In Plain Sight: Lady Bird Johnson.

Julia Sweig is an award-winning author of books on Cuba, Latin America, and American foreign policy. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Atlantic, the Washington Post, Financial Times, Los Angeles Times, Foreign Affairs, the Nation, the National Interest, and in Brazil's Folha de São Paulo, among other outlets. Her book Inside the Cuban Revolution won the American Historical Association's 2003 Herbert Feis Award. She served as senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations for fifteen years and concurrently led the Aspen Institute's congressional seminar on Latin America for ten years. She holds a doctorate and master's degree from the Johns Hopkins University. She is a non-resident senior research fellow at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas-Austin and the host creator, host and executive producer of the podcast In Plain Sight, a co-production of Best Case Studios and ABC Audio. She lives with her family outside of Washington, D.C.

The powerful influence of Lady Bird Johnson.   Julia Sweig on her book Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight. Her political acumen was key in guiding the Johnson administration through the turbulent times after John F Kennedy's assasination. Julia Sweig In her biography of Lady Bird Johnson, Julia Sweig reveals the unappreciated impact of a remarkable first lady during a historic turning point in American politics.  Jim Hightower ASSORTED NUTS   Let me say one word to you: Nuts. Now, let me say one name to you: Ted Cruz.   They've become synonymous, with the Texas lawmaker perennially topping national lists of goofy, right-wing political goobers. Only, Ted can't rightly be called a lawmaker, for he's not a serious participant in that process, instead devoting his senatorship to political stunts and picking silly PR fights with a growing list of enemies. Bill Press `The Imperfect Union of Joe Biden and Barack Obama."   How did Barack Obama and Joe Biden meet? What did they think of each other? Was there really a bromance? And how did these two very different men form a very successful partnership for eight years in the White House. What did Barack Obama think of Biden's chances in 2020? What is their relationship today? All those questions and more are answered in the new book, "The Long Alliance. The Imperfect Union of Joe Biden and Barack Obama" by New York Magazine National Correspondent Gabriel Debenedetti.   If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.  

In today's episode, Sharon talks with author Julia Sweig about her newest book, Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight. The research and writing took Julia over six years, as she meticulously poured over the details of not only Lady Bird's life, but also the 1960s era and the state of the nation at the time. Lady Bird, a whip-smart Southern woman, met Lindon Johnson in Austin, Texas where he proposed to her at the end of their first date (she said no!). Eventually, the pair married and moved to Washington DC. As LBJ's political career progressed, Lady Bird's influence spread; she was a woman who showed up. Listen to learn more about Lady Bird: her real first name, the complexities of her marriage to LBJ, her relationship with the Kennedys, her environmentalism, and her propensity to document her life, from the major moments down to the mundane details. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

While listening to her husband's Great Society speech in 1964, Lady Bird Johnson found her mission. The following year, and during a turbulent time of race riots in America, speaking at the National Council of State Garden Clubs, and the American Forestry Association, Lady Bird said “Beauty cannot be set aside for vacations or special occasions. It cannot be for the occasional privilege of those who come long distances to visit nature. It cannot be reserved, “For nice neighborhoods ONLY.” I am quite sure that ugliness—the grey, dreary unchanging world of crowded, deprived neighborhoods—has contributed to riots, to mental ill health, to crime." Urban life has improved in some aspects since the 60s, but other problems are getting worse. New York City was less segregated in the 1970s than it is today, mainly due to lack of affordable housing. A direct result of gentrification is more urban forests, which done right have the capacity of creating more equal cities, by reducing air and noise pollution. According to the World Resources Institute, wealthy neighbourhoods in San Francisco have 30% tree canopy cover, compared to 7.5% in lower income neighbourhoods. Today, I am speaking with Julia Sweig, a scholar of US-Latin American relations and New York Times best selling author of Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight. She is also the producer of the podcast In Plain Sight: Lady Bird Johnson. We will discuss Lady Bird's advocacy for mental health, her political savvy in a world dominated by men, and the great solace that she found in nature after losing her mother when she was a child. Lady Bird was married to the American president most associated with power in the 20th century, yet her voice was just as strong as her husband's. Please join us!

We talk with Julia Sweig about Lady Bird Johnson's legacy. Then Michael Klare talks about China, war & the climate crisis. The post Julia Sweig, LADY BIRD JOHNSON & Michael Klare on the Pentagon, China and Climate appeared first on Writer's Voice.

On the one year anniversary of the deadly port explosion in Beirut, Christiane Amanpour looks back at it's devastating impact with Georges Kettaneh, the Secretary General of the Lebanese Red Cross. On the eve of the inauguration of Iran's President-elect Raisi, journalist and author Robin Wright discusses the future of U.S.-Iran relations and the possibility of reviving the nuclear deal. Presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin and Julia Sweig, author of "Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight", talk about LBJ's secret weapon...his wife. As Louisiana battles it's worst covid surge to date, our Walter Isaacson talks to Governor John Bel Edwards about his plan to tackle the crisis. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Behind almost every U.S. President there has been a First Lady... but we don't always hear much about them. This week, author Julia Sweig joins Julian Zelizer and Sam Wang to discuss her book and podcast, “In Plain Sight,” which delves into the audio diaries of Lady Bird Johnson.  Julia Sweig is a New York Times bestselling author whose writing has appeared in the Washington Post, the Atlantic, the Nation, and more. She's a senior research fellow at the Lyndon Baines Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas-Austin. Her most recent book, “Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight,” was released in March 2021. Sweig is also the creator, host, and executive producer of In Plain Sight, a podcast developed with ABC Audio and Best Case Studios focused on the same topic. 

Talmage Boston holds a live cross-examination style interview of Julia Sweig, historian and author of Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding In Plain Sight. "Perhaps the most underestimated First Lady of the twentieth century, Lady Bird Johnson was also one of the most accomplished and often her husband's secret weapon."

(5/28/21) Perhaps the most underestimated First Lady of the 20th century, Lady Bird Johnson was also one of the most accomplished and often her husband Lyndon B. Johnson’s secret weapon. Managing the White House in years of national upheaval, through the civil rights movement and the escalation of the Vietnam War, Lady Bird projected a sense of calm and, following the glamorous and modern Jackie Kennedy, an old-fashioned image of a First Lady. In truth, she was anything but. Drawing from previously undiscovered source materials, including a personal journal from her time as First Lady, journalist and historical scholar Julia Sweig’s new book and podcast Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight offers startling new insight on just how influential Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Johnson was during LBJ's presidency. Join us for a reconsideration of this critical yet overlooked historical figure in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

Julia Sweig, award-winning author and nonresident senior research fellow at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas-Austin, discusses her new book Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight, which draws on the largely unknown and overlooked audio diaries that Mrs. Johnson kept during her years in the White House. Ellen Fitzpatrick, professor of history at the University of New Hampshire, moderates.  

Welcome to season 5 of the PDS! This week we talk about the ABC podcast and the book of the same name called In Plain Sight: Lady Bird Johnson. In this mini series, author Julia Sweig breaks down some of the unknown facts and influence of First Lady Lady Bird Johnson using audio diaries kept by Johnson during her time in office.   This weeks discussion : In Plain Sight:  Lady Bird Johnson - 14 Days Next weeks recommendation : Sound & Vision : How "Big Music" is Hurting the Industry and Spotify and Streaming Transparency     It would be great if you would leave us a review and follow The Podcast Discovery Show on: Spotify Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Amazon Podcasts Twitter @thepdsofficial  Facebook - Podcast Discovery Club  Twitch -  PodcastDiscoveryShow Patreon - The Podcast Discovery Show Venmo - https://venmo.com/PDS_Crew Discord - The Podcast Discovery Chat  Any support, even just reviews or getting in touch on twitter is very appreciated.

We present the full conversation from the most recent edition of our "Full Bio" series about First Lady Lady Bird Johnson. Julia Sweig joins us to discuss Johnson's life and legacy and is author of the book, Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight, and host of the podcast, In Plain Sight: Lady Bird Johnson. Sweig's podcast draws on over 123 hours of Johnson’s audio diaries, many of them unheard until now.

For the final installment in this edition of our "Full Bio" series, Julia Sweig discusses the Johnsons' final years in office and Lady Bird Johnson's legacy. Sweig is author of the book Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight and host of the podcastIn Plain Sight: Lady Bird Johnson.

In the spring of 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson had a decision to make. Just months after moving into the White House under the worst of circumstances—following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy—he had to decide whether to run to win the presidency in his own right. He turned to his most reliable, trusted political strategist: his wife, Lady Bird Johnson. The strategy memo she produced for him, emblematic of her own political acumen and largely overlooked by biographers, is just one revealing example of how their marriage was truly a decades-long political partnership.Today’s guest, Julia Sweig, author of “Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight,” argues that she was perhaps the most underestimated First Lady of the twentieth century. She was also one of the most accomplished and often her husband's secret weapon. Managing the White House in years of national upheaval, through the civil rights movement and the escalation of the Vietnam War, Lady Bird projected a sense of calm and, following the glamorous and modern Jackie Kennedy, an old-fashioned image of a First Lady. In truth, she was anything but. As the first First Lady to run the East Wing like a professional office, she took on her own policy initiatives, including the most ambitious national environmental effort since Teddy Roosevelt.We also discuss whether the office of the First Lady is a sign of vibrant American democracy or a source of neo-nepotism more fitting for the Royal Family.

For the third installment in this edition of our "Full Bio" series, Julia Sweig joins to discuss Lady Bird Johnson's commitment to environmentalism as First Lady. Sweig is author of the book Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight and host of the podcast In Plain Sight: Lady Bird Johnson.

For the second installment in this edition of our "Full Bio" series, Julia Sweig joins us to discuss the Kennedy assassination and how it lead to the Johnsons' ascent to the highest office. Sweig is author of the book Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight and host of the podcastIn Plain Sight: Lady Bird Johnson.

Today, we kick off the latest edition of our “Full Bio” series. All this week, we’ll be speaking with author and host Julia Sweig about her book, Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight, as well as her podcast, In Plain Sight: Lady Bird Johnson, which draws on over 123 hours of Johnson’s audio diaries, many of them unheard until now. In this first installment, we discuss Lady Bird Johnson's upbringing and how she met Lyndon B. Johnson.

Julia Sweig is a scholar and author whose latest book reveals important and often surprising details about one of the most powerful (but often overlooked) people in the Johnson Administration — the President’s wife Lady Bird Johnson. Julia’s book is entitled: “Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight.” Plowing through more than 123 hours of […] The post “Hiding in Plain Sight:” scholar and author Julia Sweig on the power and influence of Lady Bird Johnson (Episode 149) appeared first on She Said / She Said.

The powerful influence of Lady Bird Johnson. Confronting the myths about poverty in America. Plus, Bill Press with a behind the scenes account of Joe Biden’s election campaign.   Julia Sweig on her newest book Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight. Mark Rank on his newest book Poorly Understood: What America Gets Wrong About Poverty. Plus Bill Press with journalists Johnthan Allen and Amie Parnes on how Joe Biden barely won the presidency. Julia Sweig In her new biography of Lady Bird Johnson, Julia Sweig reveals the unappreciated impact of a remarkable first lady during a historic turning point in American  politics. Mark Rank In his newest book, Mark Rank explores what we don’t understand about who gets poor and why, and how long-standing myths have damaged our ability to respond to the deepening crisis of inequality in America Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes And now, Bill Press with journalists Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes on Joe Biden’s nail-biting campaign to take the White House, and how luck won out in the end. If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.  Jim Hightower Monopoly Is What’s For Dinner   No longer just a parlor game, monopoly is what’s for dinner. Practically every commodity and every step in producing our families’ most essential consumer purchase is in the tight grip of four or fewer global conglomerates:   Four chemical giants control more than two-thirds of the world market for commercial

Julia Sweig, senior research fellow at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas-Austin, talks about the influence Lady Bird Johnson had on Lyndon Johnson's decision-making, both before and during his presidency. www.oracle.com/goto/cspan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Blake Bailey’s long-awaited biography of Philip Roth has generated renewed conversation about the life and work of the towering American novelist who died at 85 in 2018. Bailey visits the podcast this week to take part in that conversation himself.“Most of Philip’s life was spent in this little cottage in the woods of Connecticut, standing at a desk and living inside his head 12 hours a day,” Bailey says. “This is not unique to Philip. This is a phenomenon that I experienced vis-à-vis my other subjects, too. They don’t see people very clearly. They sort of see themselves projected out, they see what they want to see. And Philip needed to understand that — though I was very fond of him, I was — I had a job to do. So our relationship was constantly teetering on the cusp between professional and friendship, and that could be an awkward dynamic. But for the most part I was extremely fond of Philip.”Julia Sweig visits the podcast to discuss her new book, “Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight.”“I wanted to write a book about women and power,” Sweig says. “And to be truthful, I didn’t have a subject when I got into this, and discovered that Lady Bird had kept this immense record of her time in the White House. And of course, Lady Bird Johnson is married to the American president of the 20th century perhaps most associated with the word ‘power.’ So the doors, once they opened, just showed a huge opportunity to discover somebody who I thought I had some feel for, but really did not.”Also on this week’s episode, Tina Jordan looks back at Book Review history during this year of its 125th anniversary; Alexandra Alter has news from the publishing world; and Dwight Garner and Parul Sehgal talk about books they’ve recently reviewed. Pamela Paul is the host.Here are the books discussed by The Times’s critics this week:“Places of Mind: A Life of Edward Said” by Timothy Brennan“Francis Bacon: Revelations” by Mark Stevens and Annalyn Swan

Lady Bird Johnson always fit the mold of a certain old-fashioned, stereotypical presidential wife: self-effacing, devoted to her generally unfaithful domineering husband, not particularly chic, and, being a traditional first lady one who needed a public cause, and found hers it in planting lots of flowers near highways. They called it at the time, with just a hint of disparagement, "beautification." Nowhere in the hundreds of thousands of pages written by presidential historians on the 36th president, Lyndon Baines Johnson, has there been presented much evidence to the contrary. But in her new book, Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight, Julia Sweig has radically changed the narrative. “She doesn't just have a front seat at history,” says Sweig on the podcast. “She was shaping it.” Mother Jones's DC Editorial Operations Director Marianne Szegedy-Maszak sat down with Sweig to talk to her about Lady Bird Johnson, writing history, and how the dominance of a certain narrative about male power informed the way we have understood the Johnson presidency. Especially striking is how many of the same issues that are current today—income inequality, the fight for racial justice, police shootings, environmental despoliation, and environmental justice—were priorities for the Johnson administration. Nearly all of them eclipsed by the Vietnam War. This episode includes clips from In Plain Sight: Lady Bird Johnson, a podcast hosted by Sweig and produced by ABC News/Best Case Studios.

The former first lady is often remembered as a genteel Southerner who promoted highway beautification, but author Julia Sweig says archival records show Lady Bird was a savvy political strategist and key advisor to her husband, President Lyndon Johnson. Lady Bird was a supporter of women's rights, and a sponsor of ambitious programs to protect the environment and address urban poverty and blight. Sweig's book is 'Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight.' Also, jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews an album from pianist Benoit Delbecq.

The former first lady is often remembered as a genteel Southerner who promoted highway beautification, but author Julia Sweig says archival records show Lady Bird was a savvy political strategist and key advisor to her husband, President Lyndon Johnson. Lady Bird was a supporter of women's rights, and a sponsor of ambitious programs to protect the environment and address urban poverty and blight. Sweig's book is 'Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight.' Also, jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews an album from pianist Benoit Delbecq.

In her new book “Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight,” and her complementary ABC News podcast, “In Plain Sight: Lady Bird Johnson,” author Julia Sweig takes a very different look at the former first lady. Relying heavily on rarely heard oral diaries that Mrs. Johnson made throughout her time in the White House, she depicts a Lady Bird Johnson who is far more substantive and consequential—having a profound influence on Lyndon Johnson's presidency—than previous biographers imagined. In this episode, Sweig talks about the woman she has come to know through her six years of research—the remarkable Lady Bird Johnson.

This episode is a journey into the culture and history of Cuba. Given the undeniable importance of Cuba in Hemingway’s life and legacy, Hemingway readers will learn a lot more about it from one of the preeminent scholars, thinkers, and writers on Cuba, Dr. Julia E. Sweig.Dr. Sweig discusses US-Cuba relations, their tumultuous history, her meetings with Fidel Castro, and her sense of what we might expect--and hope for--in the coming years. The interview touches on issues of immigration, terrorism, and contemporary politics as we explore the past, present, and future of our Cuban neighbors.This episode was recorded on 5/23/2019.

This episode is a journey into the culture and history of Cuba. Given the undeniable importance of Cuba in Hemingway’s life and legacy, Hemingway readers will learn a lot more about it from one of the preeminent scholars, thinkers, and writers on Cuba, Dr. Julia E. Sweig.Dr. Sweig discusses US-Cuba relations, their tumultuous history, her meetings with Fidel Castro, and her sense of what we might expect--and hope for--in the coming years. The interview touches on issues of immigration, terrorism, and contemporary politics as we explore the past, present, and future of our Cuban neighbors.This episode was recorded on 5/23/2019.

Cuba’s political relationship with the United States is changing, and with it, potentially it’s biodiversity. In this podcast, conservation biologist and co-curator of the exhibition ¡Cuba! , Ana Luz Porzecanski, moderates a panel on contemporary Cuba, its people, identity, and biodiversity. You will hear from historian and policy expert Julia Sweig, anthropologist Ruth Behar, environmental lawyer Dan Whittle, and Museum herpetologist and co-curator of ¡Cuba! Chris Raxworthy. This event took place at the Museum on March 9, 2017. ¡Cuba! was developed in collaboration with the Cuban National Museum of Natural History. Major funding for ¡Cuba! has been provided by the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Endowment Fund. Significant support for ¡Cuba! has been provided by the Ford Foundation. Generous support for ¡Cuba! has been provided by the Dalio Ocean Initiative. ¡Cuba! is proudly supported by JetBlue.

David Gura and Francine Lacqua, filling in for Tom Keene, discuss Fidel Castro's legacy and what his death means for the future of Cuba with Julia Sweig, a professor at University of Texas at Austin and the author of "Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know." Prior to that, Sheila Bair, the president of Washington College and former chairman of the FDIC, says the populist backlash to the economic crisis helped Donald Trump win the election. Then, Gideon Rose, the editor of Foreign Affairs Magazine, says it's unlikely Trump will live up to his campaign rhetoric. Finally, Bill Lee, Citi Research's head of North American economics, says Trump won't be able to reflate the economy until 2018. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

David Gura and Francine Lacqua, filling in for Tom Keene, discuss Fidel Castro's legacy and what his death means for the future of Cuba with Julia Sweig, a professor at University of Texas at Austin and the author of "Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know." Prior to that, Sheila Bair, the president of Washington College and former chairman of the FDIC, says the populist backlash to the economic crisis helped Donald Trump win the election. Then, Gideon Rose, the editor of Foreign Affairs Magazine, says it's unlikely Trump will live up to his campaign rhetoric. Finally, Bill Lee, Citi Research's head of North American economics, says Trump won't be able to reflate the economy until 2018.

CFR's Julia Sweig discusses the economy in Cuba and their want for foreign investment. She speaks with Tom Keene and Michael McKee on Bloomberg Surveillance. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

The University of Texas at Austin's Julia Sweig weighs in on normalizing relations with Cuba on Bloomberg Surveillance with Tom Keene and Michael McKee. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Cuba is a mere 90 miles from the United States, a puddle-jump flight or a long swim across the straits of Florida. Yet, for more than a half-century, that distance at times has loomed much greater, as U.S.-Cuba tensions played out across the world stage and here at home. That situation is changing – and dramatically so.

It’s hard to imagine that for young people growing up today, seeing the Middle East as the center of American military and foreign policy concerns, that for over fifty years and eight Presidents, Cuba had been at the center of American concerns. Ninety miles off America's shores, for the entirety of the cold war, it represented the penultimate point where Americans and Soviets were eyeball to eyeball. Today when celebrities travel to Cuba and some try to make an issue of it, most people wonder what all the fuss is about? Is that progress, has Cuba really changed or is it a kind of collective Cuba fatigue or amnesia? Julia Sweig is one of our nations reigning experts on Cuba and has just completed her second edition of Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know. My conversation with Julia Sweig:

Americans have long been fascinated by Cuba. A mere 90 miles divide the two countries, and their histories have been entangled since the turn of the last century, when the U.S. occupied Cuba after the Spanish-American war. The countries’ relations only grew more complicated from there. Fidel Castro assumed power in 1959, building a one-party Communist state that controlled land, the economy, and the media. He leaned toward the Soviet Union, spurring everything from near-catastrophic confrontations to comical assassination attempts. Several surges of refugees landed on Florida’s shores, building a vocal presence and political opposition to Castro within the United States. And successive American presidents maintained strict economic and travel sanctions and couldn’t budge the stalemated diplomatic process. Barack Obama has made few concrete changes, despite proclaiming the Cuba policy a "failed” one. What do Americans need to know about Cuba, and what’s next for Cuba and the U.S.? Julia Sweig, author of Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know and a senior fellow and director for Latin America studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, visited Zócalo to explain recent shifts in Cuban politics, its difficult relations with the U.S. and where both countries should go from here.

Beginning with the transfer of power from Fidel to Raúl Castro in 2006, there are signs that Cuba has found new footing on the world stage. The last few years have seen an expansion of Cuba’s financial and political ties with the European Union and Latin America. And with changes in both the Cuban and US leaderships, anticipation for a breakthrough in dialogue between the two nations is growing. Julia Sweig, a leading expert on Cuba and Latin America and author of Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know, will discuss the small island nation’s unique position in world affairs over the past fifty years and what may be in store for the looming post-Fidel era.