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December 22, 2023
Fueled by nationalist passion, the Guyana – Venezuela conflict is currently one of the gravest threats to peace in the Caribbean and Latin American region. In “Guyana and Venezuela Playing a Dangerous Zero-Sum Game,” Clyde Weatherhead unpacks the danger of brinkmanship, a game in which Guyana’s ‘gain’ is equivalent to Venezuela’s. So, the net change in wealth or benefit is a moot, only mutual destruction.
In “The Caribbean: A Zone of Peace, not a Battlefield for Imperialist Ambitions,” Martin P. Felix explores how the region can avoid this trajectory and emerge as a symbol of unity, conflict resolution, Amerindian justice, environmental protection, and regional collaboration.
The relative intensity has been reflected in the popular culture and patriotic discourse in both countries, as in the revival of The Tradewinds/Dave Martins’ song “Not Ah Blade of Grass” (1974) and El Esequibo Siempre Sera’ Nuestro” (1980). It is also echoed in Venezuela’s recent Essequibo referendum and the intention to claim/reclaim much of present-day Guyana into a new Venezuelan state. The battle lines are tightening, and the rumors of war abound. Still, sober heads must prevail; the saber-rattling heads must bow and carve out a space for compromise. Lessons from Africa’s post-independence border solutions to the Berlin Conference’s legacy must not be missed.
Big Drum Nation presents two distinct yet complementary narratives on the Guyana – Venezuela geopolitical crisis, threatening to impact the lives of the Caribbean/Latin American region with profound consequences.
The articles survey the factors regarding the tensions and rivalries that threaten to disrupt the tranquility of the broader Caribbean Zone illuminated by an intricate web of colonial rivalry and amorphous territories, resource competition, and historical grievances, with the potential to fuel a geopolitical chess game.
— Big Drum Nation Editors