In late November 1990, Fidel Castro invited three Iraqis for lunch at his place: along with Muhsin Jassim Al-Musawi, were the Iraqi ambassador and the Minister of Endowment. No protocols were in effect. Around the table there was food and conversation. It wasn’t a banquet, but an ordinary meal. Castro balanced this with wit, irony, allusion, and shrewd remarks on the nature of politics and culture. Fearing that Saddam Hussein would be driven and misled into a confrontation with the US, Castro was looking for the best method to communicate his thoughts without offending the other who would like to pose as a hero.

The talk will address the setting, the message and the intricacies of delivering a detailed warning in a pleasant and yet straightforward manner, and the panic of the Iraqis upon receiving this message.

This talk is cosponsored by the Heyman Center for the Humanities, the Middle East Institute, and the Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies.

Open to the public. No registration required. First come, first seated.