Edward George - The Cuban Intervention in Angola, 1965-1991

In January 1965 Cuba formed an alliance with the Angolan MPLA which evolved into the flagship of its global internationalist mission, spawning the military intervention of November 1975 and Cubas fifteen-year occupation of Angola. This book examines why a Caribbean country sent nearly half-a-million of its citizens to fight in Angola, and how a short-term intervention escalated into a lengthy war of attrition, culminating in Cubas spurious victory at Cuito Cuanavale. Drawing on interviews with leading protagonists, first-hand accounts and archive material from Cuba, Angola and South Africa, this book dispels the myths of the Cuban intervention, revealing that Havanas decision to intervene was not so much an heroic gesture of solidarity, but rather a last-ditch gamble to avert disaster. By exploring the complex interplay between the fighting on the ground, the tortured peace process and the constantly shifting alliances, this book aims to explain how these forces shaped and affected Cubas fifteen-year intervention, propelling it towards its controversial conclusion.

Edward George is the Cape Verde and So Tom author for the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and is a freelance writer on the politics, economics and history of Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa. This book is based on research carried out for his PhD, which was awarded by the University of Bristol.

THE CUBAN INTERVENTION IN ANGOLA, 19651991

From Che Guevara to Cuito Cuanavale

Edward George

First published 2005
by Frank Cass
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN

Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Frank Cass
270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016

This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005.

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2005 Edward George

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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
George, Edward, 1972
The Cuban intervention in Angola, 19651991 : from Che Guevara to Cuito Cuanavale / Edward George.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. AngolaHistoryRevolution, 19611975Participation, Cuban. 2. AngolaHistoryCivil War, 19752002Participation, Cuban. 3. CubansAngolaHistory20th century. I. Title.
DT1410.C83G46 2005
327.72910673dc22
2004013931

ISBN 0-203-00924-X Master e-book ISBN

ISBN 0-415-35015-8 (Print Edition)

a mi amigo y mentor cubano
Octavio Guerra Royo
por todas las conversaciones