Oil makes up one-third of Venezuela's entire GDP, and the United States is far and away Venezuela's largest trading partner. Relations between Venezuela and the United States, 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 United States and Venezuela attempts to place the events of the past ten years in historical perspective and to explain the reasons why the changes occurred. It also examines the impact of new actors on the international scene: drug traffickers, common citizens, human rights and environmental activists and the media.

Janet Kelly is Professor of Political Economy at the IESA, in Venezuela. She has previously taught at University of Massachusetts and serves on the board of The LatinAmerican Research Review. Carlos Romero is an associate Professor at the Faculty of Law and Political Science in the Universidead Central de Venezuela, and chair of the department of International Studies. He has taught at University of Pittsburgh and Columbia University.

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 Conclusions Appendix 1: Presidents of the United States and Venezuela: 1900-2000 Appendix 2: Venezuela and the United States: A Comparison 1997