Tensions Escalating in South America as US Performs Military Exercises in Guyana

Friday, June 25, 2021

Lucas Leiroz, research fellow in international law at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

Political and military tensions continue to grow in South America. US military activities in Guyana are increasingly worrying the government of Nicolas Maduro. There is a constant alert to Venezuelan troops about the threat coming from Guyana, where the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) is setting up a base in South America, whose function is, together with Colombia, to act as encirclement against Venezuelan Bolivarian regime.

The Venezuelan Navy recently started an intensive patrol campaign along the Atlantic coast, where there is a maritime connection with Guyana. Currently, the region is heavily occupied by US troops as a result of SOUTHCOM military exercises in Guyanese territory, which creates a scenario of tensions and instability as the number of US agents on the Venezuelan border and coast grows exponentially. Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López, in a recent statement, called the US maneuvers in the region a provocation against the government of Nicolás Maduro and ordered the Hugo Chávez Ship, one of the most powerful vessels in the Bolivarian Navy, to start an intensive patrol in the coastline.

These military exercises in Guyana comprise a program called “Tradewinds 2021″. According to the SOUTHCOM website, Tradewinds 2021 is a “Caribbean security-focused, multi-dimensional exercise conducted in the ground, air, sea, and cyber domains”, in which “US forces will join participating nations to conduct joint, combined, and interagency training focused on increasing regional cooperation in complex multinational security operations”. Altogether, more than 10 nations make up the program, with different armed forces in joint maneuvers to prepare for real combat situations. However, the US, which finances the program, is the country with the largest number of troops. The activities started on June 13th and, in theory, end today, the 25th, but it is unlikely that the official conclusion of the tests will mean any decrease in the US military presence in the region, considering that the US strategy for Venezuela is a plan of constant siege.

In fact, SOUTHCOM is already creating justifications to maintain the siege against Venezuela. In a recent statement, SOUTHCOM’s officials said that human and drug trafficking are the greatest regional challenges for the US armed forces in the South American region and made several offenses against Venezuela, which is identified by Washington as a funding nation of international drug trafficking networks . US Navy Admiral Craig S. Faller, SOUTHCOM commander, stated: “What is happening inside Venezuela is essentially a lawless state, with the ELN [National Liberation Army], with the FARC [Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia], who are gaining territory and who work directly with the Maduro regime for their own benefit, despite the suffering of their people.”

It is interesting to note how the speech points to Colombian narco-terrorist organizations as having a strong influence on the Venezuelan government, which seems to be absolutely untrue, considering that the Bolivarian Armed Forces combat drug trafficking vehemently. This rhetorical tactic seems to seek, in addition to defaming Caracas, a justification for the close ties between the US government and the Colombian government, whose links to drug trafficking are explicit. This is a way of attributing responsibility to Venezuela for problems that exclusively concern Colombia, creating a narrative that is absolutely different from reality, but which justifies US sanctions and siege against Venezuela.

As far as the Venezuelan reaction is concerned, attitudes are not limited to maritime patrols. Yesterday, June 24, the country celebrated 200 years of victory at the Battle of Carabobo, where Simon Bolivar defeated colonial troops and consolidated national independence. During the celebrations, a large military parade was held, with extraordinary proportions. More than a thousand combat vehicles were exhibited during the parade. The ceremony was attended by former Bolivian and Ecuadorian presidents Evo Morales and Rafael Correa, as well as by Russian and Cuban soldiers and, at the end of the ceremony, Minister Vladimir Lopez spoke his words against the American presence in South America, emphasizing that Venezuela will continue to follow a sovereign regional integration strategy, considering the Bolivarian principle of “Patria Grande” (Great Homeland). He said that it will not be subordinated to foreign colonialisms, repeating the analogy between the old Spanish rule and modern US occupation in South America, which was a very common rhetoric in Chavez’s speeches.

Above all, the parade was a show of strength and served as a message for the US to abandon any bellicose and coercive strategy, considering that Venezuela will not be intimidated by such measures. There is no symmetry in this rivalry. The siege is real, and the American force is immeasurably greater than the Venezuelan one. But Caracas is absolutely unwilling to change any point of its plans. Washington is also unlikely to change its strategy, but the siege will certainly increase, particularly at sea, with American vessels occupying the entire Venezuelan coast to try to impede the flow of trade with Iran, which is increasing its presence in the Caribbean. This will make the show of force constant and will likely evolve into more advanced stages of violence.

Source: InfoBrics