  We have used the latest HI observations of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC),
obtained with the Australia Telescope Compact Array and the Parkes telescope,
to re-examine the kinematics of this dwarf, irregular galaxy. A large velocity
gradient is found in the HI velocity field with a significant symmetry in
iso-velocity contours, suggestive of a differential rotation. A comparison of
HI data with the predictions from tidal models for the SMC evolution suggests
that the central region of the SMC corresponds to the central, disk- or
bar-like, component left from the rotationally supported SMC disk prior to its
last two encounters with the Large Magellanic Cloud. In this scenario, the
velocity gradient is expected as a left-over from the original, pre-encounter,
angular momentum. We have derived the HI rotation curve and the mass model for
the SMC. This rotation curve rapidly rises to about 60 km/s up to the turnover
radius of ~3 kpc. A stellar mass-to-light ratio of about unity is required to
match the observed rotation curve, suggesting that a dark matter halo is not
needed to explain the dynamics of the SMC. A set of derived kinematic
parameters agrees well with the assumptions used in tidal theoretical models
that led to a good reproduction of observational properties of the Magellanic
System. The dynamical mass of the SMC, derived from the rotation curve, is
2.4x10^9 Msolar.
