On Cuba

On Cuba is a conversation between Noam Chomsky and Vijay Prashad about the Cuban Revolution and its long, contentious relationship with the United States. Cuba has been an audacious revolutionary experiment in the backyard of a great power, and for decades it has held a troubled place in the international order. Its doctors and fighters have traveled the world, from Venezuela to Angola, and its example has had an influence far beyond its size.

The country's political and economic future remains uncertain as the Castro era draws to a close and the U.S. embargo continues. Chomsky and Prashad, two close observers of international politics, trace Cuban history from the early days of the 1950s revolution to the present. They examine U.S. interventions and draw lessons about American power and influence in the Western Hemisphere.

The book is neither a jingoistic condemnation nor an uncritical celebration of Cuba. Chomsky's unorthodox approach to world affairs is on display as the two men work through the island's unusual place on the world stage. Against a media landscape full of half-truths and fake news, they try to clarify the truth about a complex and perennially controversial nation, while also looking at the limits of mainstream media discourse.