Venezuela rivals U.S. in Central America and Caribbean

Venezuela's socialist President Hugo Chavez has won over some of the United States' closest allies in the Caribbean and Central America with oil credits and aid that match similar efforts by Washington. Hundreds of millions of dollars in food aid and billions in low-interest loans to buy Venezuelan oil put Chavez neck-and-neck with the United States as a major financier in a region that U.S. officials once called their backyard. Chavez, who has clashed with the White House on everything from free trade to fighting drugs, is now a top benefactor even to Washington allies who welcome his aid offers to offset rising energy and food import bills. With oil prices expected to stay high, analysts say Chavez's influence will grow in a region that was once a Cold War battlefield and remains impoverished.