ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book has two purposes. The first is to articulate the story of a series of encounters between Latin American and Arab revolutionaries as part of the broader global history of the twentieth century and beyond. The first purpose requires the study of more than 60 years of encounters between Latin American revolutionaries and the Arab World. The second purpose is to contribute to the debate regarding the ideological and political autonomy of those actors on the periphery of the international system by arguing that these actors have been far more independent in their actions and political convictions than previously assumed one. The second purpose is to explore the nature of relations between the periphery and the core during the Cold War. The book argues that the encounters between Latin American revolutionaries and their Arab counterparts reflects the quite the opposite.
