In recent years the powerful and long-standing influence of the United States in the Caribbean and Central America has been challenged directly by Cuba, Mexico, and Venezuela and—many think—indirectly by the USSR. This struggle for dominance, which has altered and still is significantly changing the power configuration in the Caribbean Basin, is examined in detail in Colossus Challenged. The book contains seven chapters by prominent area specialists. Five of the chapters focus on the Caribbean policies of the major contenders for power, analyzing the evolution of each country's policies, the main variables affecting its definition of interests and its decision making, and its prospects for exerting regional influence in the foreseeable future. The other two chapters look at the rivalry for Caribbean influence from the perspectives of eastern Caribbean and Central American governments.