Che Guevara, Cuba, and the Hombre Nuevo: Building Nationalist Internationalism

Abstract

Ernesto “Che” Guevara's contributions to Cuban foreign policy have been underestimated. Much has been written about his direct actions, but it was his indirect contributions that made the most dramatic impact. My paper explores Cuba's foreign policy as a derivative of Guevara's “new man” ideology by arguing that Cuba's support of guerrilla movements abroad was an outgrowth of many years of domestic policy and rather than an unprecedented top-down policy from Castro and his government. Guevara's writings and example of how to be a “new man”, fueled by government support, fundamentally changed the Cuban people's conception of themselves, the world, and their role in it. This new consciousness was evidenced by the thousands of Cubans who volunteered for internationalist missions. Accordingly, the Cuban Revolution became something both national and international; a Cuban man could fight in Bolivia to create a Bolivia for the Bolivians because he was a good Cuban. This paper also explores the abandonment of certain aspects of Guevara's thought, such as his unsuccessful military strategy of foquismo, by later generations who continued to venerate him as a hero. Thus, Guevara was selectively remembered by the Cuban government and people. The research also offers insight into the interaction of national heroes and ideology with international relations in a way that shows that they are inseparable.