The Giant’s Rival: The USSR and Latin America

Cole Blasier is one of the few American scholars at home in the two fields of Soviet foreign policy and Latin American politics. His book provides basic information on the various strands of Soviet policy (diplomatic, economic, strategic, party-revolutionary) in relation to key Latin American countries, with Cuba, of course, getting star billing. It is a good professional job, though relapsing into more repetition than seems necessary. The approach and conclusions are low-keyed, both in the interpretation of Soviet policies and priorities and in the suggestions for Washington to ponder.