ABSTRACT
With the military triumph of the Sandinistas in 1979, Nicaragua would be transformed into the strongest supporter of the Palestinian cause throughout Latin America. In January 1966, Havana hosted the Tricontinental Afro-Asian-Latin America Solidarity Conference and renewed its commitments to revolution across the world. The Tricontinental represented a unique opportunity for Cuba to further its role as a leader in the emerging world of newly independent nations. Cuba took on an almost religious commitment to promoting revolution after its perceived abandonment by the Soviet Union during the missile crisis of 1962. A shift in Cuba's policy toward revolutionary movements in the region began to be more evident. Latin American revolutionaries could count on Cuba's support, but it was only to be given to those revolutionary movements capable of presenting a viable military option. As much as the war in 1967 was a setback for the Palestinian people, it gave them freedom from many years of domination by other Arab nations.
