ABSTRACT
In the Middle East, Cuba has pursued a policy which is extensive and influential. The island's reach in the region is considerable, having close contact with many of the regimes in power. The qualitative aspects of Cuba's foreign policy are as remarkable. In the Middle East, Fidel Castro has turned to pragmatism as a way of implementing foreign policy while remaining faithful to the principles of Castroism, a masterful combination. Cuba's entrance into Middle East politics has introduced new risks into its foreign policy in return for whatever benefits have been derived. As Cuba's involvement in the Middle East expands, the Castro regime will have to confront another category of risks. Factionalism within the island's Arab friends may well provoke and exacerbate fragmentation within the Cuban foreign policy establishment. The Cubans are useful to the Soviets in a military sense as well. Cuba has derived definite benefits from its Middle Eastern policy.
