I recently read an article about the tension between two South American countries, Guyana and Venezuela, over some oil reserves around a common border.

At he end of last year tensions were elevated….

Tensions over the fate of Guyana’s Essequibo region continue to rise with reports Venezuela is deploying some 6,000 troops into the border region to conduct exercises over the disputed region. The deployment is in response to Britain’s deployment of the HMS Trent off the Guyana coast.

The Essequibo tensions were fueled largely by the early December referendum by Venezuela calling to annex the region after the discovery of oil reserves. The sparsely populated territory’s ownership is a long-standing dispute, and it amounts to most of Guyana’s overall land mass. The question of Essequibo’s legal fate was referred to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), though Venezuela has rejected their jurisdiction on the matter.

(antiwar.com)

Lots of lip service and then Brazil stepped in to conduct negotiations…..and it appears that calmer heads have prevailed….

Guyana and Venezuela signed an agreement that said they would “not threaten or use force against one another in any circumstances” to resolve their competing claims to the Essequibo region. The talks came after the Brazilian government pressured both nations.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Guyanese President Irfaan Ali met in Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, for talks negotiated by Brasília and the UN. The discussions centered on the region of Essequibo.

The South American neighbors inked a three-page agreement that emphasized the dispute over the Essequibo will not be resolved by force. The deal says both nations agree to “not threaten or use force against one another in any circumstances” and “refrain, whether by words or deeds, from escalating any conflict.”

The agreement was the result of an “excellent day of dialogue,” Maduro touted. “I thank the President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, Irfaan Ali, for his candor and willingness to engage in broad dialogue on all the issues addressed, directly,” the Venezuelan Leader posted on X. “I am satisfied to have been face to face as I wanted it for a long time. It was worth it to raise the flag of truth, to raise our historical reasons and to seek, with Bolivarian Peace Diplomacy, the path of dialogue and understanding to channel this historical controversy.”

(antiwar.com)

The US has signaled support for Guyana by announcing joint military drills that Venezuela slammed as provocative. US Southern Command has conducted flight operations in Guyana.

Diplomacy prevailed…..and then the US could not have that….

And then the US has to poke its nose in where it does not belong…..(this news is very recent)

The US will increase military aid to Guyana amid tensions with neighboring Venezuela over the disputed Guayana Essequibo region, The Associated Press reported on Monday.

The AP report did not detail how much the US will provide but said the US will help Guyana acquire new helicopters, a fleet of military drones, and radar technology for the first time.

In 2023, the US provided Guyana with about $2.7 million in total aid, including over $400,000 from the Pentagon’s International Military Education & Training program, which trains foreign militaries. Guyana is a small country with a population of only around 800,000. According to AP, the Caribbean nation’s military numbers less than 5,000 troops.

News of the new military aid came after US Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer met with officials in Guyana. The US has been stepping up military cooperation with Guyana after Venezuelans voted in a referendum late last year to make the Essequibo region a Venezuelan state.

(antiwar.com)

Is this the next Ukraine?

Will this infusion of US military aid enrage Venezuela to the point of doing something stupid?

Is this destined to be yet another proxy war for the US?

Must we continually look for regions to f*ck up?

Just wondering.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”