ABSTRACT
Cuba’s vanguard Communist party adheres to a theme of proletarian internationalism. In keeping with that orientation, the nation, under party guidance, gears its foreign policy to the international struggle for national liberation. Fidel Castro stresses that international activism is an integral part of a revolutionary’s thought and praxis. Castro views international solidarity as a way to buttress nations in similar positions to Cuba and, in return, gain their support for his Revolution. Although Cuba operated predominantly within the international socialist economic community until the 1990s, Fidel never intended to give the impression that what he called “collective self-reliance” meant that there existed a self-contained formal system or economic bloc. In order to resolve disputes, implement foreign policies, foster better relations with other states, support internationalism, and increase its prestige; Cuba maintains a strong presence in the United Nations. Since the inception of the Revolution, Cuba disagreed with the Soviet Union on numerous major issues and agreed with it on others.
