Relations between the United States and Venezuela, though traditionally close for most of the last two centuries, began to fray in the last decade as the end of the Cold War altered the international environment. The close and friendly relationship that developed between the two countries can be explained by the fact that Venezuela has consistently been a top supplier of oil imported to the United States, however, thereis lingering distrust between the two countries. In The United States and Venezuela, Kelly and Romero attempt to place the events of the past ten years in historical perspective and to explain the reasons why these changes have occurred. Examining the impact of new actors on the international scenem drug traffickers, environmental activists, and human rights, the authors conclude that, in the long term, relations between the United States and Venezuela will not stray far from the traditional friendship that has been a fixed element in their bilateral relations.
1. The past is prelude: Historical bases for U.S.- Venezuelan relations
2. Global changes and relations between the United states and venezuela
3. The new role of international institutions
4. The domestic sources of foreign policy
5. Getting Along: issues in U.S- Venezuelan relations
6. Transnational politics and bilateral relations
7. Conclusions