Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
5-2025
Keywords
Cuba, Ogaden, Fidel Castro, Amílcar Cabral, Non-Aligned Movement, Third-World, Decolonization, imperialism, Víctor Dreke, Tricontinental
Degree Name
History (BA)
Department
HISTORY
First Advisor
Nancy P. Appelbnaum
Second Advisor
Beniam Awash
Series
Humanities
Abstract
Cuban foreign policy demonstrated continuity in Africa between the Tricontinental Conference of 1966 and the Sixth Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in 1979. I look at Cuban involvement in African liberation movements of the mid-1960s to characterize the initial launch of Cuba’s yet-to-be fully developed Africa policy. Next, through the lens of the Ogaden War, I examine at the evolution of Cuban foreign policy in the late 1970s. By the time representatives from 82 countries came to Havana in January 1966, Cuba was heralded by the majority of non-aligned countries for their bravery and selflessness. By the late 1970s, significant opposition to Cuba existed within the movement, primarily characterized by accusations of operating as a Soviet proxy. I investigate this shift and demonstrate the continuity of Cuban foreign policy aims during the Inter-Conference Period. The Cuban socialist project has always portrayed itself as an international idea tied to Che Guevara’s internationalist vision. Were global Communism and the struggle for national liberation fully compatible? Was Cuba’s self-characterization a cover to advance its agenda or a genuine foundation for international relations that operated differently from Western countries or even the Soviet bloc? I argue the latter and contribute to the scholarship of voices such as Gleijeses, Christine Hatzky, and Richard L. Harris that have developed frameworks for understanding Cuban internationalism on the African continent. Additionally, I apply my research into the context of the NAM’s failures, as well as incorporating elements of Global South studies led by scholars like Samir Amin and Vijay Prashad.
Recommended Citation
Sommer, Nathan C., "“África es Nuestro Corazón, Nuestra Sangre”: Cuban Revolutionary Internationalism in Africa during the Inter-Conference Period, 1966-1979" (2025). Undergraduate Honors Theses. 56.
https://orb.binghamton.edu/undergrad_honors_theses/56
