NEWS South America under extreme duress

[Uncle Fester]

Venezuela’s threats to annex most of Guyana draw international concern

Been reading up on this on the high side last few weeks, ever since the referendum was announced. Short version: Venezuela staged a referendum on whether to annex the western two-thirds of Guyana. It’s been a bone of contention for the last hundred years or so but mostly a dormant issue. Hey wouldn’t you know it, now that ExxonMobil found a crapton of oil off Guyana’s coast a few years ago, and Maduro’s facing a serious challenger in the upcoming presidential election, all of a sudden the Venezuelans care about it again.

I think it’s most likely that Maduro’s only going to make enough noise about this to get him through the election, because then whatever happens he won’t need the issue any more. But it’s worth noting that the Brazilians are worried enough about this that they're sending troops to the border, and that this scenario - faltering military dictatorship stirs up some territorial shit to pump up the patriotismo and distract the people - is more or less exactly how the Falklands happened.

 

[sevenhelmet]

There seem to be a lot of territorial issues bubbling up across the world, all at once. It’s almost like… something… I’m just not sure what.

 

[Griz882]

I can almost hear the flaps extending as CIA transports full off cash descend on every airport in Guyana.

 

[number9]

I can almost hear the flaps extending as CIA transports full off cash descend on every airport in Guyana.

 

[Randy Daytona]

Venezuela’s threats to annex most of Guyana draw international concern

Been reading up on this on the high side last few weeks, ever since the referendum was announced. Short version: Venezuela staged a referendum on whether to annex the western two-thirds of Guyana. It’s been a bone of contention for the last hundred years or so but mostly a dormant issue. Hey wouldn’t you know it, now that ExxonMobil found a crapton of oil off Guyana’s coast a few years ago, and Maduro’s facing a serious challenger in the upcoming presidential election, all of a sudden the Venezuelans care about it again.

I think it’s most likely that Maduro’s only going to make enough noise about this to get him through the election, because then whatever happens he won’t need the issue any more. But it’s worth noting that the Brazilians are worried enough about this that they're sending troops to the border, and that this scenario - faltering military dictatorship stirs up some territorial shit to pump up the patriotismo and distract the people - is more or less exactly how the Falklands happened.

Thank you for the update.

Venezuela’s oil industry is in serious, perhaps terminal, disrepair and it might be easier / cheaper / quicker to take someone else’s oil right now than spending the billions of dollars and waiting the years required - and the US is quite busy right now.

 

[MIDNJAC]

Thank you for the update.

Venezuela’s oil industry is in serious, perhaps terminal, disrepair and it might be easier / cheaper / quicker to take someone else’s oil right now than spending the billions of dollars and waiting the years required - and the US is quite busy right now.

Almost worked out for Saddam.....

 

[Uncle Fester]

View attachment 39425

You know the fines for littering in the state of California?

 

[number9]

You know the fines for littering in the state of California?

Yes Sir!

 

[BattlingTrain]

It's about time we got out of the sandbox and went to war somewhere with a proper beach ????

 

[FLGUY]

Jesus, at this point we have a potential conflict arising in every AOR. All we need is a civil war to spool up NORTHCOM and we’ll have a full set!

 

[IKE]

Jesus, at this point we have a potential conflict arising in every AOR. All we need is a civil war to spool up NORTHCOM and we’ll have a full set!

If only that were as far-fetched an idea as it was a decade ago...

 

[Mirage]

Venezuela’s threats to annex most of Guyana draw international concern

Been reading up on this on the high side last few weeks, ever since the referendum was announced. Short version: Venezuela staged a referendum on whether to annex the western two-thirds of Guyana. It’s been a bone of contention for the last hundred years or so but mostly a dormant issue. Hey wouldn’t you know it, now that ExxonMobil found a crapton of oil off Guyana’s coast a few years ago, and Maduro’s facing a serious challenger in the upcoming presidential election, all of a sudden the Venezuelans care about it again.

I think it’s most likely that Maduro’s only going to make enough noise about this to get him through the election, because then whatever happens he won’t need the issue any more. But it’s worth noting that the Brazilians are worried enough about this that they're sending troops to the border, and that this scenario - faltering military dictatorship stirs up some territorial shit to pump up the patriotismo and distract the people - is more or less exactly how the Falklands happened.

How dare the Brazilians!

Don't they know that we are the world police?

 

[sevenhelmet]

Jesus, at this point we have a potential conflict arising in every AOR. All we need is a civil war to spool up NORTHCOM and we’ll have a full set!

If only that were as far-fetched an idea as it was a decade ago...

Yeah, be careful what you wish for.

 

[Flash]

Venezuela’s oil industry is in serious, perhaps terminal, disrepair and it might be easier / cheaper / quicker to take someone else’s oil right now than spending the billions of dollars and waiting the years required - and the US is quite busy right now.

Not in Guyana's case it isn't, their oil industry is not very well developed yet and what little Venezuela would gain in production capacity would very quickly be lost without any support whatsoever from foreign oil companies.

 

[Uncle Fester]

How dare the Brazilians!

Don't they know that we are the world police?

Well it's kinda hard to fault them in this case. Not only is this right on their border, but the only major road going from Venezuela into Esequibo goes through Brazil.

Not in Guyana's case it isn't, their oil industry is not very well developed yet and what little Venezuela would gain in production capacity would very quickly be lost without any support whatsoever from foreign oil companies.

Key word being "yet." The oil field off Guyana is the same kind of heavy crude Venezuela produces and the big oil companies have been rushing in. It's apparently really good for producing kerosene-based products like jet fuel, and now there's change to access it without dealing with all that chavismo nonsense in Venezuela. Guyana's gone from "not much besides rainforest" to oil boomtown practically overnight; Guyana's GDP has almost quadrupled in the last seven years.

The Falklands analogy is hard to ignore, and all the Falklands had was sheep.