The United States traditionally has had close relations with Venezuela, a major supplier of foreign oil, but there has been friction in relations for almost a decade under the government of populist President Hugo Chávez. U.S. officials have expressed concerns about human rights, Venezuela's military arms purchases, its relations with Cuba and Iran, and its efforts to export its brand of populism to other Latin American countries. Declining cooperation on anti-drug and anti-terrorism efforts has also been a concern.

An oil-exporting South American nation with a population of about 25 million, Venezuela has been wracked by several years of political turmoil under the populist rule of President Hugo Ch�vez who was first elected in 1998. Under Ch�vez, Venezuela has undergone enormous political changes, with a new constitution in place, a new unicameral legislature, and even a new name for the country, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Ch�vez was re-elected President with a new sixyear term in July 2000 under the new constitution.