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Belize is officially
in Central America but often forgotten about in the scheme of U.S.
interventions because it was recognized as an English-speaking, British colony
until it gained its independence on September 21, 1981; also, it was
called British Honduras until it changed its name to Belize in 1973.(2)
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Because
it is the smallest of the Central American nations, it was often
overlooked by the U.S.
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The
U.S. only began to concern itself with Belize once tensions with
guerilla forces in Guatemala began to escalate.
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Before
Belizean independence in 198, tension arose out of the fact that
Britain no longer wanted to keep Belize as a colony and that
Guatemala wanted claim it as their own.
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Guatemala’s claim
for Belize lasted for almost a decade after they received
independence, which scared the U.S. because Guatemalan guerillas
repeatedly tried to build their own military strongholds on Belizean
land.
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Along
with the United States’ fear of leftist control by Guatemalan
guerillas, there was also the fear of an independent Belize that was
controlled by its own Prime Minister, who happened to on the left
and therefore was perceived by the U.S. government to be capable of
harboring guerillas of his own.
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In
the 1980’s, the U.S. established its own military operation in
Belize along with training Belizean officers in the United States. This strategic anti-communist move gave the U.S. government the idea
that they had the upper hand in the containment of communism in
Belize and the entire Central American region around it, which
included Guatemala as well.(3)
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