[mc32]

No, Cuba never intervened in the politics of other countries or engaged in assassination in other countries or sent mercenaries to other countries or exported their ideology to other countries. Only bad countries did that. That's right Cuba did not send 4,000 troops to Syria to fight against Israel in the Yom Kippur war. They also probably didn't send troops into Somalia nor support the MIR and FPMR to destabilize Chile.

[2OEH8eoCRo0]

Fidel Castro urged Russia to nuke the US during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

http://www.errolmorris.com/film/fow_transcript.html

>"Mr. President, I have three questions to you. Number one: did you know the nuclear warheads were there? Number two: if you did, would you have recommended to Khrushchev in the face of an U.S. attack that he use them? Number three: if he had used them, what would have happened to Cuba?"

He said, "Number one, I knew they were there. Number two, I would not have recommended to Khrushchev, I did recommend to Khrushchev that they be used. Number three, 'What would have happened to Cuba?' It would have been totally destroyed." That's how close we were.

EM: And he was willing to accept that?

Yes, and he went on to say: "Mr. McNamara, if you and President Kennedy had been in a similar situation, that's what you would have done." I said, "Mr. President, I hope to God we would not have done it. Pull the temple down on our heads? My God!"

[alrs]

Well, kinda. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_intervention_in_Angola

[Der_Einzige]

It's not even well kinda, Cuba absolutely did intervene heavily in Africa. The stereotype of some old south African mercenary that loves to kill communists is directly as a result of this war.

[alienthrowaway]

> It's not even well kinda, Cuba absolutely did intervene heavily in Africa.

As did the US - the CIA was instrumental in the arrest of Nelson Mandela while he was on the lam. A number of Vietnam vets went on to "fight communism" in African wars of independence.

African decolonisation and the cold war was a complex mix.On one side, you had a white settler minority ruling class, ostensibly on the side of Capitalism and western values. On the other side, you had the majority agitating for full democracy with voting rights extended beyond the minority, but found no help from the west when they requested it.

The same story played out in multiple countries, including Vietnam: they'd be rebuffed by the west, and these groups, in need of training and materiel, would look to the USSR, China and Cuba who were happy to help if the rebels/terrorists/freedom fighters could help make socialism global.

[refurb]

Have you not heard of Cuba’s role in Angola?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_intervention_in_Angola

[cholantesh]

Pretty sure they're being sarcastic, but anyway, I wouldn't call that anywhere near comparable.

[legitster]

Also, one of the events on this list (The CIA's protection of "Baby Doc" Duvalier) was in no small due to the US's interest in defending off Cuban attempts at invading Haiti.

[whydoibother]

> 4,000 troops to Syria to fight against Israel in the Yom Kippur war

Supporting Arabs retaliating against an illegal land grab by Israel.

>They also probably didn't send troops into Somalia

Helping Ethiopia defend itself against aggression from Somalia, the issue of which was caused by western meddling and colonialism.

>nor support the MIR and FPMR to destabilize Chile.

Supporting forces revolting against the horrible Pinochet dictatorship.

Really, why list any of this when we are talking about unwanted CIA intervention, which usually backed murderous right wingers? Cuba's interventions were at least battling western imperialism and had the support of part of the local populations and not just the rich land owners.

[cholantesh]

Most of HN's userbase will offer the same asinine responses to questions like that:

"because western imperialism/protecting the interests of rich land owners is good",

"because the alternative is worse, just trust me bro", or

"because the local population doesn't know what's good for them and/or are/were brainwashed"