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This book was first published in 1989. The Soviet presence and purposes in Latin America are a matter of great controversy, yet no serious study was hitherto combined with a regional perspective (concentrating on the nature and regional impact of Soviet activity on the ground) and diplomatic analysis, examining the strategic and ideological factors that influence Soviet foreign policy. Nicola Miller's lucid and accessible survey of Soviet-Latin American relations over the past quarter-century demonstrates clearly that existing, heavily 'geo-political' accounts distort the real nature of Soviet activity in the area, closely constrained by local political, social and geographical factors. In a broadly chronological series of case-studies Dr Miller argues that, American counter-influence apart, enormous physical and communicational barriers obstruct Soviet-Latin American relations and that the lack of economic complementarity imposes a natural obstacle to trading growth: even Cuba, often cited as 'proof' of Soviet designs upon the area, is only an apparent exception.

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• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• 1 The Soviet interest in Latin America
• 2 'Communist subversion' in Latin America? The impact of Marxist thought
• 3 Castro's Cuba - 'a gift to the Russians'? The Soviet-Cuban embrace, 1959-1962
• 4 The Soviet-Cuban balancesheet
• 5 'Socialism with red wine ...' Moscow and Chile's Popular Unity experiment
• 6 The Soviet Union and the major Latin American powers
• 7 The USSR and the Central American crisis
• 8 Conclusion
• Appendix
• Bibliography
• Index

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CHOICE Review

Western analysis of Soviet-Latin American relations tends to polarize. One school gives Latin America low priority in Soviet strategic doctrine. Small Communist parties, low levels of trade, and distance from Soviet borders are cited. The other school emphasizes Soviet efforts to damage US security by disrupting economic, political, and military ties. Miller's approach supports the low-priority thesis. After examining economic, political, and military relations, Miller concludes that Latin America has relatively low priority in the hierarchy of Soviet strategic objectives. Cuba, the apparent exception, is analyzed carefully as a deviation from the norm; more cautious behavior is seen in low commitment to Allende's Chilean socialism and to Ortega's Nicaraguan Marxism. The book includes interesting material on economic relations, especially with Argentina. Covering more than 1959-87, Miller gives abundant references, reviews the literature very well, identifies major authors and points of view, and provides a strong bibliography. One of the better studies of Soviet-Latin American relations. Strongly recommended. R. V. Barylski University of South Florida