In his 2013 book about the Chinese Revolution’s influence on Latin America, Matthew Rothwell highlights how linguistic barriers have limited in-depth studies of the relationships between Latin America and China. The challenge of mastering both Chinese and Spanish or Portuguese has left this field underexplored. Similarly, the scarcity of scholars fluent in the languages of Eastern Europe and Latin America has created a gap in understanding their interactions. This is precisely where Radoslav Yordanov’s work makes a significant and novel contribution, shedding new light on the political dynamics of the twentieth century.

Yordanov begins his compelling new book by questioning the need for yet another study on Cuba—arguably one of the most scrutinized countries relative to its size and population in the second half of the twentieth century. This question, however, is rhetorical, as Yordanov’s work breaks substantial new ground and sets a high bar for future scholarship. While much early research on Cuba framed the country through the lens of empire—first centering on US influence and, later, Cuba’s role in Cold War struggles between the United States and the Soviet Union—Yordanov shifts the narrative. He enriches the discourse by examining Cuba’s largely overlooked relations with Eastern European countries, and in the process, offers fresh perspectives on Cold War dynamics. By moving beyond traditional frameworks of East–West tensions, Yordanov significantly broadens our understanding of global developments during this period.

Yordanov delves into the complexities of Cuba’s relationships with the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe by combining extensive research across diverse archival collections in multiple languages with a thorough engagement with secondary literature. In examining Cuba’s efforts to spread revolutionary fervor throughout Latin America and Africa, Yordanov challenges Cold War stereotypes, offering a more complex narrative that many scholars are beginning to acknowledge. Cuban revolutionaries had their own distinct ideas and motivations, and Cuba was far from a mere Soviet proxy. Instead, it actively pursued an independent revolutionary agenda across the Global South.

One of the clearest takeaways from Yordanov’s narrative is how frustrating Fidel Castro was for communist leaders in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Fidel consistently refused to follow their advice, instead forging his own path in policy decisions. This is evident in Cuba’s support for armed struggles across the Global South, which critics condemned as an attempt to export its revolution. In contrast, Soviet and Eastern European leaders prioritized political struggles and economic development, seeking peaceful coexistence with capitalist powers. To the Cubans, these orthodox communists seemed stagnant and outdated, while to them, Fidel appeared volatile and unpredictable.

The book is organized chronologically, and as it moves through the 1970s and 1980s—and then closer to the present—its tone gradually shifts toward a more conventional Cold War narrative, increasingly positioning Cuba within an East–West divide between the Soviet Union and the United States. The same rich archival sources remain, including the sources from Eastern European countries that contribute to making this volume both fascinating and exceptional. Nevertheless, the shift in tone raises intriguing questions: Does it reflect actual changes in international dynamics, as Cuban leaders became more concentrated on their country’s institutional interests? Is it a consequence of the available archival documentation, which may echo engrained Cold War perspectives? For instance, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) analyses of the Sandinistas in Nicaragua during the 1980s are far more polemical and less insightful than the earlier studies of the Cuban revolution. While this tonal shift might mirror evolving global realities, it also underscores the limitations of archival resources as Cold War narratives increasingly influenced interpretations of Cuba’s role. Or does it reflect an evolution in the perspective of the author as the events come closer to the present? Ultimately, Yordanov’s meticulous archival research and probing narrative provide a valuable contribution to Cold War historiography that challenges traditional East–West binaries by foregrounding Cuba’s agency in global revolutionary movements.