Since Fidel Castro's victory in Cuba in January 1959 the United States had been concerned that any change of government in a Central American country should not usher in a similar Soviet-backed communist regime; and to prevent this it has developed a range of responses, from direct military intervention, through support of local armies, to diplomatic isolation and economic blockade. For the foreseeable future Central America and the Caribbean will remain a powder keg. Carlos Caballero Jurado's engaging text examines the Central American Wars from 1959-89.