ABSTRACT
The foreign policies of Latin American states changed in the 1970s in response to a new set of circumstances. First, the relative decline in the economic and political power of the United States in the international system was especially significant because the United States had been so important in Latin America. Second, the considerable economic growth of most Latin American countries from the late 1950s to the late 1970s enabled them to acquire the economic, political, and at times military, means to project power beyond their borders. The importance of the Soviet Union for Cuban decision-making illustrates the constraints on the Cuban government's choice of policy instruments. Both Cuba and Mexico show considerable continuity With certain aspects of past policies. Mexico has always sought to restrain US intervention in Central America or the Caribbean. The position elaborated by Mexico toward Central America reflects a fairly long-term determinant of Mexican foreign policy.
