Skip to main content
Donate to the Fighting Fund
Guyana-Venezuela dispute: understanding the background and opposing war
FRANCISCO DOMINGUEZ explains that Venezuela’s plan to absorb parts of Guyana is a dispute that dates back to the 1800s and the colonial era. Now, a peaceful solution must be found
National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez (left) and Chairman of the Special Commission for the Defence of Guyana Essequibo Hermann Escarra, unveil Venezuela's new map that includes the Essequibo territory, a swath of land that is administered and controlled by Guyana but claimed by Venezuela, in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, December 8, 2023

IF there were any misgivings about the actions undertaken by the government of Venezuela around the territorial dispute with Guyana, the joint military exercises between Guyana Defence Forces (GDF) and the US Southern Command (SouthCom) explain what really lies behind things.

Venezuela’s claimed territory, also known as Guayana Esequiba, is 159,500 square kilometres west of the river of the same name. SouthCom (the Pentagon) never intervenes in territorial disputes, unless the territory in question contains resources of geopolitical importance for US imperialism.

In an interview on January 21 2023, SouthCom Chief Laura Richardson stressed how important Latin America was for US foreign policy because of “its rich resources,” a point she has been making since her appointment in 2021.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
FULL OF HIMDSELF President Donald Trump arrives at Zurich International Airport for the World Economic Forum on Wednesday
US Imperialism / 22 January 2026
22 January 2026

Trump’s vision of ‘might is right’ signals the collapse of the postwar order — and a warning of who may be next, warns BOB ORAM

THE RESOLVE UNALTERED: Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez, center, makes a statement flanked by Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, right, and National Assembly President, Jorge Rodriguez, at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela on Wednesday
Features / 16 January 2026
16 January 2026

International solidarity can ensure that Trump and his machine cannot prevail without a level of political and economic cost that he will not want to pay, argues CLAUDIA WEBBE

Demonstrators protest outside of the White House in Washington, November 15, 2025
Latin America / 18 November 2025
18 November 2025

The global left must be unwavering in it is support for Venezuela as Washington increases its aggression, and clear-eyed about the West’s cynical motives for targeting it, says CLAUDIA WEBBE

READY TO REPEL ATTACK: People rally in the Catia neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, in support of the enlistment campaign called by the government of President Nicolas Maduro, August 29 2025
Features / 3 September 2025
3 September 2025

US baseless accusations of drug trafficking and the outrageous putting of a bounty on a president of a sovereign country do not bode well, reports PABLO MERIGUET