Venezuela and Guyana, two neighboring countries in South America, are at loggerheads over a piece of land. This land is the Ethiopia region, which occupies two-thirds of Guyana's total area, but is considered by Venezuela to be its "historical territory". This dispute has been going on for more than a century, but in recent years there have been new changes.
Venezuela, in the midst of an economic crisis and turmoil, tried to reclaim the land by force, while Guyana, backed by the United States and other Western countries, refused to budge. The standoff between the two sides has escalated to the brink of war, and the United States is behind the scenes in an attempt to expand its influence in South America. What impact will this conflict have on peace and stability in South America and globally?Why should we care about this conflict?
The dispute over the Essequibo region dates back to the late 19th century, when Britain and Spain held an arbitration in Paris to transfer the land to British Guiana, a British colony. Venezuela, as a former colony of Spain, has always refused to recognize the arbitration result, believing that it is a first-class deal by Western powers and deprives Venezuela of its legitimate rights and interests.
In 1966, British Guiana became independent as Guyana, inheriting British sovereignty over the Ethiopian region, but Venezuela still insisted on its territorial claims, and the two sides signed the Geneva Agreement, agreeing to settle the dispute by peaceful means. However, due to the wide gap between the positions of the two sides, no substantive progress has been made in many dialogues and negotiations.
The dispute in the Essequibo region is not only about history and **, but also about economy and strategy. The land is rich in natural resources, including gold, aluminum, iron, diamonds, timber, and in recent years, a large amount of oil and gas has been discovered in the nearby seas.
These resources are important for the economic development of both Venezuela and Guyana, especially for Venezuela, a former South American oil giant whose oil production and revenues have plummeted due to a prolonged economic crisis and international sanctions, leading to severe inflation and social unrest.
Venezuela hopes to improve its economic woes by retaking the Essequibo region, while also seeking support for its regime's legitimacy. Guyana, on the other hand, wants to boost its economy by exploiting the resources of the Ethiopian region, while also defending its sovereignty.
In addition, the Essequibo region is also a strategic location in South America, connecting the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, serving as a transportation hub for South and North America, and a neighbor of Colombia, an important ally of the United States in South America. Therefore, the ownership of this land is also related to the geopolitical situation pattern of South America.
In December 2020, the International Court of Justice ruled that the body had the authority to adjudicate on the Essequibo regional dispute, which was the result of Guyana's lawsuit before the Court in 2018. Venezuela condemns this, arguing that the International Court of Justice has no right to interfere in bilateral affairs between the two countries and insists on resolving disputes through bilateral dialogue.
In January 2021, Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro signed a decree that included the Essequibo region and its adjacent waters into Venezuela's territorial waters to defend the country's rights. Guyana objected to this as a violation of Venezuela's sovereignty over Guyana and called on the international community to support Guyana's position. The standoff between the two sides has escalated to the brink of war, and the United States is behind the scenes in an attempt to expand its influence in South America.
The United States has always held a hostile attitude towards Venezuela, does not recognize Maduro's legitimacy, and supports opposition leader Guaido's "temporary" to impose multiple rounds of economic sanctions and pressure on Venezuela in an attempt to overthrow the Maduro regime.
The United States has also always had a friendly attitude towards Guyana, supporting Guyana's sovereignty in the Essequibo region, signing a military cooperation agreement with Guyana, sending military advisers and military equipment to Guyana, and even planning to build a military base in Guyana to counter the Venezuelan threat.
These moves by the United States have not only aggravated the tense relations between Venezuela and Guyana, but also aroused uneasiness and resentment among other South American countries, believing that the United States is using the dispute between the two countries to interfere in the internal affairs of South America and undermine peace and stability in South America. These moves by the United States have also aroused the attention and concern of the international community, which believes that the United States is provoking a new regional conflict and that two more countries want to go to war!The 400,000-strong army is ready to go, and the U.S. military is also involvedThis is a conflict about international law and international order. This is a conflict not only for South America, but for the whole world.
We hope that peace and stability will be restored to Venezuela and Guyana as soon as possible and that a peaceful and just solution will be sought through dialogue and negotiation, instead of resorting to force and violence, creating misfortune and disaster. We also hope that the United States will respect the sovereignty and choice of South America, stop interfering in South America's internal affairs, stop provoking new regional conflicts, and stop undermining peace and stability in South America.
We also hope that we can draw lessons and enlightenment from this conflict, enhance our international awareness and capacity, adhere to our path of peaceful development and independent foreign policy, strengthen our friendly relations and cooperation with South America and other countries and regions, and make our contribution to building a community with a shared future for mankind.