ABSTRACT
The Central American nations and Panama are of substantial interest to Washington due to their geographic proximity to and economic interdependence with the United States (US) as well as the common cultural/ethnic heritage which they share with many US citizens. American policy makers have rediscovered the Caribbean region—as has happened on several other occasions since World War II. The rivalry between Cuba, Mexico, and Venezuela for influence in the Caribbean Basin has been referred to by other authors. It seems obvious that Caracas' greater capacity to lend money might give it more leverage than Cuba or Mexico. Venezuela has become their most important Caribbean associate outside of the Central America Common Market because of petroleum imports. One unidentified US State Department source told Ricard Chavirra of the Copley News Service: It's quite possible that what irked the Venezuelans is that the Mexicans went outside the region.
