The declarations of President Obama and President Raul Castro on December 17, 2014 to begin talks to restore diplomatic relations and normalize ties between both countries after half a century constitutes a new stage in their disputatious history since the 1959 Revolution. The panel will report on where the negotiations stand and provide the historical context for understanding the likelihood of success given Cuba’s insistence on its right to defend its Revolution and Washington’s still extant desire to overthrow it.