Illustrative Image
Written by Piero Messina
From the Gaza Strip to the Essequibo Strip, the great geopolitical clash between the Washington consensus and the emerging multipolar world registers yet another critical issue, yet another piece of a geopolitical clash that pits the Atlantic forces against the BRICS world.
With last Sunday’s referendum, Venezuela aims to end a dispute that has lasted for more than 120 years over those 160 thousand square kilometers. The issue of dominion over the Essequibo strip on the border between Venezuela and Guyana has exploded in recent years following the massive oil discoveries and drilling contracts granted to ExxonMobil since 2015. The granting by the Guyana government of further licenses of exploration in September this year led Venezuelan authorities to hold a non-binding referendum to gain popular support for the centuries-old sovereignty claim.
Click to see full-size image
In the background, a particularly decisive factor is the political and military support of the United States for Guyana, presided over by Irfaan Ali. The Essequibo dispute has raised fears of US intervention in the region, with the US Southern Command performing joint military drills with the Guyanese armed forces earlier this year. Washington has publicly backed Georgetown’s position and a Department of Defense delegation visited the Guyanese capital two week ago.
From an international law perspective, the matter has clear outlines. An English colony, the sovereignty of that territory was established on the basis of an arbitration ruling in 1899 which first assigned that territory to Great Britain. Venezuela has always considered that act of 1899 to be illegitimate and instead appeals to a 1966 agreement stipulated in Geneva – which the country led by President Maduro still considers to be the only binding instrument to resolve the dispute. Venezuela also rejects the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the matter and opposes Guyana’s exploration of resources in the territorial waters of the Essequibo Strip.
Click to see full-size image
Based on these principles, the Venezuelan government called the referendum with five questions. The vote was held on December 3 and the results confirmed the political line dictated by President Maduro. Elvis Amoroso, president of the National Electoral Council (CNE) reported that all five referendum questions, relating to different aspects of Venezuela’s dispute over the disputed border with Guyana, obtained between 95 and 98% of the “Yes” votes . Of the five questions, the most important is the last: it provides for the establishment of a Guayana Esequiba, to be federated with Venezuela.
The reaction of the US government was not long in coming.. US State Department Spokesperson Matt Miller said Monday that the territorial dispute between Venezuela and Guyana over the Essequibo region would not be “settled by a referendum” and called for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro reacted strongly to Miller’s statement, calling it “unacceptable meddling” and claiming that the US had pushed Guyanese President Irfaan Ali into a conflict with his neighboring country, only to later withdraw US military support in the matter.
