By Dr. Nand C. Bardouille

In a previous article published on February 8, I analyzed Guyana’s latest brush with Venezuela. The border spat, which flared up toward the tail end of 2023, was manufactured by the Nicolás Maduro regime. It brought these two (contrasting) petrostates closer to a new crisis, making things worse for Caracas diplomatically.

Not so for Georgetown, as my article contends in three steps. It concludes that Caracas’ heavy-handed, antagonistic foreign policy-related antics backfired, proving ineffective and counterproductive.

For one thing, and in a diplomatic move that will resonate for years to come, Georgetown upset Caracas’ wider regional strategy. For another, it mostly weathered the onslaught.

However, my article’s conclusion also signals a cautionary note. It underscores that the risk of a Guyana-Venezuela showdown does not go away and that greater, fast-moving risks to that country’s security still exist.

In recent days, within sight of Guyana’s western border, indications (reportedly made public by Guyanese authorities) are that Venezuelan military maneuvers are afoot. This reported build-up of Venezuelan forces near that border, now receiving greater coverage by the international media, has come under scrutiny relative to a recently minted agreement to de-escalate tensions between these two South American........

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