Conflicting Missions

Conflicting Missions examines Cuba's foreign policy and military involvement in Africa from 1959-1976, with a focus on operations in Algeria, the Congo, and Angola. The book draws on Cuban, American, European, and African sources, including declassified government documents and interviews with key participants. The narrative tracks Cuba's evolution from supporting small revolutionary movements to deploying large-scale military forces abroad. Cuban military advisers and combat troops operated independently of the Soviet Union, often pursuing objectives that diverged from Soviet interests. The book details the complex relationships between Cuba, African liberation movements, and the major Cold War powers during a period of decolonization and upheaval. It follows Cuban operatives and soldiers on the ground while also analyzing high-level strategic decisions in Havana, Moscow, and Washington. This work challenges conventional interpretations of Cold War dynamics and Cuban foreign policy motivations. Through extensive primary source research, it presents Cuba as an autonomous actor whose African interventions stemmed from a genuine revolutionary ideology rather than simple Soviet proxy warfare.

Readers describe Conflicting Missions as a detailed examination of Cuba's foreign policy in Africa, backed by extensive research in Cuban archives. Multiple reviewers noted Gleijeses' access to previously classified documents and his interviews with key participants. Readers appreciated: - The depth of archival evidence - Balanced analysis of Cuba's motivations - Clear writing despite complex subject matter - Debunking of common myths about Cuban intervention Common criticisms: - Dense academic writing style - Too much detail on minor events - Limited coverage of African perspectives Ratings: Goodreads: 4.3/5 (42 ratings) Amazon: 4.6/5 (16 ratings) Notable reader comments: "Finally settles the question of whether Cuba was acting independently or as a Soviet proxy" - Goodreads reviewer "Could have used more context about internal African politics" - Amazon reviewer "The level of detail from Cuban archives is unprecedented" - H-Net reviewer

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🔸 Author Piero Gleijeses was granted unprecedented access to Cuban government archives, making this book the first detailed account of Cuba's foreign policy in Africa based on both Cuban and U.S. primary sources. 🔸 The book reveals that Cuba sent troops to Africa without Soviet knowledge or approval, challenging the long-held belief that Cuba was merely acting as a Soviet proxy. 🔸 During Cuba's intervention in Angola (1975-1991), which is extensively covered in the book, Cuba deployed more troops to Africa than the United States sent to Vietnam at the height of the Vietnam War. 🔸 Gleijeses conducted over 100 interviews with key participants, including high-ranking Cuban officials, African leaders, and former CIA operatives, providing multiple perspectives on these historical events. 🔸 The research presented in "Conflicting Missions" took over a decade to complete and required the author to learn Portuguese to access Angolan sources, in addition to working with Spanish and English documents.