ABSTRACT
Cuba could also gain bargaining power vis-à-vis the United States. Its African card could become a useful trump in overcoming problems and resuming diplomatic relations with the United States. The catalyst for the Belgrade confrontation between the Cuban-led left wing and the moderates who coalesced around Yugoslavia was the question of membership criteria in the Nonaligned Movement. The Western Hemisphere was initially not a major arena for Cuban globalism during 1975-1979. This was partially due to Havana's preoccupation with African affairs and its drive for leadership of the Nonaligned Movement. Following the pattern established in the early 1970s, Cuban-US relations during 1975-1979 continued to vacillate between movement toward normalization and strident antagonism. The Cubans' Soviet connection gave them a greater sense of security by alleviating their fears about their country's economic and military vulnerability to US hostility and by a providing a larger resource capability to wield influence in world affairs.
