Belize, a small British colony in Central America faced with a territorial claim and military threats from neighboring Guatemala, overcame disadvantages of size and power by implementing a strategy of internationalization that utilized new international norms and international organizations, in particular the Non-Aligned Movement and the United Nations.
This book, written by a key player in the independence struggle, details the history of the territorial claim and of the international campaign that made it possible for Belize to achieve secure independence with all its territory despite pressures from Britain and the United States to cede land and compromise its sovereignty.

ASSAD SHOMAN has been involved since 1971 in negotiations with Britain and Guatemala and is currently part of the Belizean team charged with guiding the country toward a resolution of the dispute by submission to the International Court of Justice.