Audio Subscribe to Stratfor Worldview In this Pen and Sword podcast from Stratfor, a RANE company, Emily Donahue interviews Anthony DePalma, author of The Cubans: Ordinary Lives in Extraordinary Times . Through years of conversations and rare access, DePalma discovers and shares stories from people whose lives have been defined by a U.S. embargo and a failed revolution. For 60 years, Cuba's presence on the world stage has been limited to the role of a pawn in the Cold War fight for supremacy between communism and capitalism. DePalma writes, I wanted readers to know about the Cubans' incredible ability to adapt to the most distressing circumstances, giving them a remarkable ability to survive harrowing conditions. That may be their greatest strength as a people.