Argentine policy towards Cuba attracts considerably more attention than economic interests or strategic considerations would suggest. It is the symbolic value of the lone communist state in the Western hemisphere that has frequently generated controversy in redemocratized Argentina. For some Argentines, Cuba represents a litmus test of their government’s commitment to human rights and democracy in foreign policy, while for many others it is a measure of the degree of independence from the United States. This dynamic is not unique to Argentina, but the shifts in governmental policy have been particularly dramatic in comparison to other Latin American countries.
