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CASTRO'S FOREIGN POLICY AIMS - Coggle Diagram
CASTRO'S FOREIGN POLICY AIMS
RELATIONS WITH THE SOVIET UNION
Castro never allowed Soviet ideology to influence him greatly.
The close ties with the USSR were essentially a matter of expediency (the USSR was the only dependable supplier fuel and purchaser of Cuba's crops and products).
Castro expected the Soviets to back him fully in his anti-colonial campaign, however the Soviet leaders were wary of major confrontations with the US and they were reluctant to court further humiliation.
The Soviet leaders threaten to suspend Soviet oil supplies to Cuba if Castro ignored their warnings.
It was not until the 1970s, that Castro was able to assume the role of leader of the developing world.
PROMOTING REVOLUTION IN OTHER NATIONS
In 1971, Castro visited Chile to give his support to the Left-wing government of Salvador Allende. His hope of forming a Cuban-Chilean alliance was crushed when Allende was overthrown and killed in a military coup in 1973.
Castro sent hundreds of Cuban military advisers to Angola in 1975. They had to work with the Marxist rebel forces fighting a civil war against the Angolan armies. Castro sent 20,000 Cuban troops to join the Marxist force and that forced South Africa withdrawal.
Between 1975 and 1977, Castro made personal visits to Guinea, Mozambique, Algeria, Somalia, Libya, Tanzania, Angola and Yemen. His intention was to show support for the Marxist governments or Marxist parties seeking power.
There was no doubt that he succeeded in making himself a hero. Castro's ability to travel abroad was clear that his position as leader of Cuba was secure.
In 1979, Castro turned his attention to revolutionary movements nearer home, giving Cuba support to the Nicaraguan Sandinistas in ousting their dictatorial government.
The successes enabled Castro to ignore criticism that came from his opponents.
CASTRO AS HEAD OF THE NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT (NAM)
Castro's reward for the work of the Cuban forces in Africa and Latin America was his election in 1979 as president of the non-aligned movement (NAM).
He succeeded in avoiding American domination and his skills in maintaining Cuban political independence from Soviet control.
As president of the NAM, Castro visited the UN where his address won the plaudits of the majority of the leaders of the developing nations.
CASTRO'S PRAGMATISM IN FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Ronald Reagan insisted on maintaining trade embargos against Cuba.
Mikhail Gorbachev informed Castro that the reforms being introduced in the Soviet Union meant that Cuba could no longer expect to enjoy its customary economic concessions.
The disintegration of the Soviet bloc in Europe in the late 1980s, and the collapse of the Soviet Union itself in the early 1990s meant that Cuba was now on its own and Cuba entered its Special Period, a time of deprivation and austerity.
Castro hosted gatherings of the non-aligned countries, making long speeches extolling the virtues of continuing the Cuban revolution.
FOREIGN POLICY AND ECONOMIC PROBLEM