Conflicting Missions: Havana, Washington, and Africa, 1959-1976 by Piero Gleijeses tells the story of Cuba's military adventure in Africa during the 1960s and 1970s. Despite its small size and poor economy, Fidel Castro's Cuba managed to provide soldiers and support to several revolutionary movements in Africa's anti-colonial struggle.

As a Communist state, Cuba's actions were in direct opposition to the national security interests of the United States. Consequently, the U.S. often found itself supporting an opposing side in these struggles. The best example of this occurred in Angola where Cuba backed the MPLA and the United States backed the FNLA and the UNITA, while all three groups fought against the U.S. ally Portugal.

While not all of its interventions were successful--it failed to prevent the Congo from joining the anti-Communist camp as Zaire--Gleijeses provides a good account of the mixed bag that was Cuba's African adventure. During this time period, Cuba showed that a small country could still take on a powerful country like the U.S. if it is able to harness its people's superior motivation and is able to ride the wave of a popular ideology.

Cuba's foray into Africa is also an interesting story beyond its significance to the Cold War. This story provides many tales of intrigue and struggle that will keep the general history reader entertained. ( )