Engagement, Not Isolation: An Inside Account of US-Cuba Relations

In 2016, the United States re-established diplomatic relations with Cuba, more than 50 years after relations had been cut off. President Obama asserted that "American engagement - through our embassy, our businesses, and most of all, through our people - is the best way to advance our interests and support for democracy and human rights." Learn how this historic transformation came about.

Ben Rhodes was the assistant to the president and deputy national security advisor for strategic communications and speech writing, overseeing President Obama's national security communications, speech writing and global engagement. Previously, he served as deputy director of White House speech writing and as a senior speech writer for the Obama campaign. Prior to joining Obama for America, he worked as special assistant to Lee Hamilton at the Wilson Center, where he helped draft the Iraq Study Group Report and the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. He is the co-author with Lee Hamilton.