Africa Notes: Cuba and Angola - March 1987

Cuban relations with Angola have gone through several distinct phases. These phases have been marked by intermittent divergence between Soviet and Cuban interests in Angola, an emphasis by Havana on enhancing Cuban influence and national prestige, and generally, but not always, greater congruence between the interests of Havana and Luanda than between those of Luanda and Moscow. They also provide evidence that Cuban behavior over the years fits neither a leftist "Cuba as hero" nor a conservative "Cuba as villain" stereotype.