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SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) - When nine Caribbean countries signed oil trading agreements with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, it was a marriage of convenience.
Fragile Caribbean economies scored modest relief from rising fuel prices, while the leftist South American leader advanced his campaign to become a counterweight to U.S. influence in the region, analysts say.
"A lot of what Chavez is doing right now is just bravado," said Vinay Jawahar of the Washington-based Inter-American Dialogue. "But it's going to make the United States' life harder."
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