ABSTRACT
Since 1959, Cuba has been the dominant preoccupation of US foreign policy in Latin America. The Cuba/Soviet/Cold War preoccupation of US policy in Latin America is well illustrated by a personal anecdote. The United States has not often paid serious attention to Latin America. The main foreign policy preoccupations of the United States have been Soviet relations, Europe, the Middle East, and more recently, Asia—but not Latin America. The socio-psychological factors regarding the historic US disinterest in Latin America were at least as important. The United States, by generally ignoring Latin America, had devolved a minimalist foreign policy strategy for the region. In the early to mid 1960s, Cuba engaged in a variety of actions to try to spread its revolution throughout Latin America. The new literature has begun to talk not of Cuba's strength and attractiveness, but of its weaknesses and vulnerabilities.
