It is a precipitous moment for Venezuela and Guyana this week as they meet to address the longstanding dispute over the Essequibo region. Leaders from both nations have said they will come to the table with the Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the St Vincent and Grenadines prime minister Ralph Gonsalves, and the UN secretary general António Guterres.
In recent weeks, the two have seemed to be drawing closer to conflict. Venezuela has threatened to annex the densely forested Essequibo region, which constitutes two-thirds of Guyana’s territory, after holding a referendum to seek support. While the Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro’s pseudo-referendum further exposed his disregard for international law, both countries are reenacting what was a colonial conflict between the British and the Spanish.
