I feel extremely fortunate to have Dr. Philip Brenner as my mentor for my upcoming research. I have been following some of Dr. Brenner’s work before our meeting as he is the resident Cuba expert of SIS and I have even used some of his work in past assignments. Unbeknownst to him, Dr. Brenner was also a factor in my decision to come to American University. Dr. Brenner and I had our first meeting on August 30, 2017, from 10:45 am to about 11:30 am. Right away I knew Dr. Brenner’s expertise on Cuba and its long history with the U.S. would be vital for providing guidance on my research and for introducing me to unknown aspects of my general topic.

We talked mostly about the general concept of my topic, our conversation was mostly centered around two questions: Why research Cuba and what was my goal? I explained to Dr. Brenner that my motivation on researching Cuba was due to my personal observation of how the recent thawing of US and Cuba relations have brought great hope to the people and have inspired new innovations and private businesses. I told him my goal was to use my research to bring attention to the benefits that could arise from the continuation of a better relationship between the two countries. Dr. Brenner also explained to me as to why he focuses on Cuba, which has to do with his interest in the relationship between small nations and superpowers. I felt that this conversation was also a good connection to our class discussion this week on Aristotle and his idea that every action has an end, every research has a goal.

One of the main tips that I took away from my meeting with Dr. Brenner is to always be aware of the different perspectives of actors involved in my research. I think this is especially useful for my research topic since there are so many different points of views when it comes to US-Cuba bilateral relations. A way I could learn more about the different perspectives was to be more aware of the history of my topic. Dr. Brenner was kind enough to gift me one of his books “Sad and Luminous Days.” This book talks about the Cuban Missile crisis and inability for each country to understand the other’s perspective. The main point from the reading is that the US had a lack of empathy towards Cuba during this time.

I look forward to continuing to work with Dr. Brenner in order to narrow down my focus and to eventually form a puzzle for my research because as of right now he believes my interest is a bit broad. Dr. Brenner and I have planned to meet at least once a month to discuss my progress and provide guidance on where to go next. He has also offered to take me to Cuba focused events around D.C.

Blight, James G., and Philip Brenner. Sad and Luminous Days: Cuba’s Struggle with the Superpowers after the Missile Crisis. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2007.