President Obama and Cuba President Raul Castro briefly shook hands Tuesday during a ceremony celebrating the life of Nelson Mandela, prompting mixed responses. Phyllis PomerantzProfessor of the practice of public policy, Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke Universityphyllis.pomerantz@duke.eduhttp://fds.duke.edu/db/Sanford/faculty/phyllis.pomerantzPomerantz teaches in the Duke Center for International Development with an emphasis on leadership, governance and aid effectiveness. She worked at the World Bank for 25 years, where she was its chief learning officer and an economist and rural development specialist in the Latin America and Caribbean region.Quote: "The Obama-Castro handshake is a hopeful sign and seems to represent U.S. recognition of the positive economic and travel reforms Raul has initiated. It was also a wisely chosen moment to send up a 'trial balloon' to see how Miami's Cuban community reacts. Mandela certainly would have approved." _ _ _ _Duke experts on a variety of other topics can be found at http://newsoffice.duke.edu/resources-media/faculty-experts.