"What was going down in Chile? Was there a serious alternative developing?
Would the course of world history have taken a taken a radically different trajectory if things have gone a bit differently in Portugal, Grenada or Chile?"
Wow. I'm not often shocked on this list, but something like this would do it. The short answer is "An injury to one is an injury to all."
The long answer is that clearly capitalism cannot bear any straying. What the fuck difference did it make to them how Cuba arranges its internal affairs, or for that matter, Haiti. But obviously they think it matters and cannot bear any deviation from the rule.
Maybe it makes you think you've got real balls to talk about "the course of world history" as something independent of Portugal, Chile, Haiti, etc. But in my book it's real asshole stuff.
Joanna