Conwy specifically was, yes. There were some pre-existing castles in Wales prior to Edward I's conquest, but I believe they were all built after the Norman invasion to secure the Welsh border. Off the top of my head Castell Coch and Cardiff are both Norman castles.

It doesn’t, however, ignore the entirety of the Monroe Doctrine.

The US government had treated the Americas as its personal political sandbox for 140 years by the time of the Cuban Revolution. South and Central Americans already had generations of experience with “American interests” in their lands.