War may be coming to the Western Hemisphere, and the UN is holding closed-door meetings to address the issue.
Guyana is doing what it can to boost its security in the oil-rich region of Essequibo as Venezuela continues to increase tension eyeing a takeover of the region.
Let us all remember that it was the Biden administration has been lifting sanctions on Venezuela. The President of the United States discussed and eased sanctions against the country in May and November of 2022. Then on October 18, 2023, Biden lifted restrictions on energy, gold, and financial sectors.
A little over a month later, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (a strong ally of Iran) is eyeing a takeover of Guyana’s Essequibo region, which is rich in oil and minerals.
From Bloomberg via Yahoo News:
The United Nations Security Council plans to hold a closed-door meeting on the issue Friday, according to two people familiar with the matter. Both sides will have the chance to speak before the council’s 15 members. Guyanese President Irfaan Ali Guyanese President Irfaan Ali said in an earlier statement that his country had asked the Security Council to take appropriate action, but no immediate decision is expected at this point, according to the people.
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro further escalated tensions with Guyana over Essequibo with an order Tuesday evening that state-owned oil and mineral companies start granting exploration licenses for deposits in the region.
How serious is the threat?
Brazil is placing troops at their border just in case the fighting spills across their border, and Guyana’s little army is on full alert.
America has vowed “unwavering support,” and Blinken has spoken with Guyanese President Irfaan Ali.
More from Bloomberg:
Maduro also ordered foreign oil companies working in Essequibo to withdraw, asserting his right to do so after Venezuelan voters backed plans to regain control of the territory in a referendum Sunday. Guyana has insisted that Essequibo is within its borders, and the matter is currently being analyzed by the International Court of Justice, though Maduro has said he doesn’t recognize its jurisdiction.
The dictator has not deployed military forces yet but on Tuesday said he’d form a military unit for the disputed territory.
“I propose a special law to prohibit all companies that work under Guyana concessions from any transaction,” Maduro said. “They have three months to withdraw” once his proposal is approved, he said.
On December 6, 2023 it was reported by the Associated Press that a helicopter carrying five senior Guyana military officials went missing as they flew through the contested area.
In case you are keeping track since Biden has taken office, Russia invaded Ukraine, war has broken out in Israel, and now Venezuela may be preparing an invasion. When Trump was in office we withdrew from Syria, ISIS was defeated, relations in the Middle East began to normalize, and Venezuela was under strict restrictions.
Look, even for those world leaders who believed the left’s talking points about Trump being a crazy person had an effect. You don’t mess with a guy who is in charge of the most powerful military in the world and seemingly isn’t afraid to use it.
