One common point of contention in I've noticed in Cold War Gone Hot WW3 TLs is the role of Cuba. While works centered around the Cuban Missile Crisis usually involve Cuba (for obvious reasons), TLs set in other periods differ. Some portray Fidel Castro realizing that he has no hope of winning a direct war with the United States and declaring neutrality; in others, he takes an active role in the conflict, either attacking the United States or being dragged in once the US attacks Cuba themselves.
So, for the sake of this thread, let's say World War III breaks out sometime in the 1980s after a months-long crisis somewhere in Europe or the Middle East - somewhere where Cuban forces are not directly committed. What will Cuba's role be in this new conflict? Would they allow the USSR to base additional forces on the island during the buildup to the war?
I assume that in some respect Cuba will be dragged into the war whether they want it or not. They still have significant forces and advisors present in southern Africa and Central America, and I doubt that they will be withdrawn (even if Castro wanted it, the Russian transports they relied on are going to far be too busy elsewhere). Meanwhile, while I am unaware of US war plans regarding Cuba in the 1980s, I doubt American leadership is comfortable with (1) a well-armed, unfriendly military power sitting just 90 miles off the coast of Florida, and (2) the Soviet military and intelligence presence on the island, such as the combat brigade and the KGB SIGINT station at Lourdes. I would at the very least expect a US air campaign to degrade the combat and intelligence-gathering abilities of the CRAF, DGI and any Soviet forces present.