'This is an outstanding, exhaustively researched study that is absolutely fundamental for an understanding of both the reality of contemporary Cuba and its future...This definitive work on Cuban defence policy and the role of the armed forces is essential reading for anybody seeking to analyze one of the most important features of revolutionary Cuba. The book reveals insightful analysis, detailed ... Read moreresearch, and a genuine flair for understanding and explaining the importance of the Cuban armed forces. A true classic in the field of Cuban Studies.' - John M. Kirk, Dalhousie University, Canada 'He [Hal Klepak] writes insightfully, prudently and well...He draws on a wealth of expereince from his scholarly study of military institutions to enable him to signal the particularity of the Cuban military in a Latin American perspective.' - Jorge I. Dominguez, Latin American Studes 'This volume is an invaluable work from an author who has both unrivalled knowledge of the Cuban Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias (the FAR) and clear admiration for their mixture of professionalism and commitment...Klepak has thus provided a necessary antidote to preconceptions and an exceptionally worthwhile service to our understanding of Cuba.' - Antoni Kapcia, New West Indian Guide Show Less