Taking a break from his summer vacation to consider the continuing and escalating crisis in our next-door neighbour, Venezuela, US President Donald Trump announced, “We have many options for Venezuela; and by the way, I’m not going to rule out a military option.”
Against that background, the statement on Venezuela by the Chairman of the HoG Conference, Grenada Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell, following the end of the 38th CariCom Heads of Government (HoG) Conference in Grenada, is salutary: “We reaffirmed our guiding principles to the rule of law, respect for human rights and democracy, as well as the fundamental principles of non-intervention and non-interference in the affairs of states…Concern with the difficult economic and social situation in Venezuela, in particular the increase in violence and polarization between the Government and the Opposition and its effect on the people of Venezuela, and recognizing the need to find a solution for the present situation which ought to seek internally.”
Calling for the Venezuelan Government and its Opposition to “resume dialogue”, Dr Mitchell reaffirmed that CariCom was willing to facilitate such a dialogue. Several members of CariCom are also members of the “Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America” (ALBA), which was a Venezuelan-sponsored Caribbean initiative extending the PetroCaribe oil facility into other economic areas to its members. The rest of Latin America, including the Organisation of American states (OAS), have also expressed their disquiet at the deteriorating situation in Venezuela – especially after the disputed results of the recent elections held by the Government but boycotted by the Opposition, to form a Constituent Assembly to revise their Constitution.
Up to now, while it has long signalled it was seeking regime change in Venezuela since the Chavez presidency, with the destabilising effect any further deterioration of the Venezuelan crisis would have in the region, the US has tried to facilitate a regional response, especially via the OAS. Historically, because of the unfortunate fallout from previous US military interventions in the region, other Latin American countries are expected to oppose return to that tactic.
As a next door neighbour of Venezuela, Guyana has to be especially concerned with the recent descent into an almost anarchical state in that country — which has the largest reserves of oil in the world, and is the third largest supplier of petroleum to the US. That such a country can reach a stage where hunger stalks the land and Venezuelans have to cross their borders into neighbouring countries – including Guyana – in a desperate search for food is an object lesson for us.
Here, the present Government is unfortunately giving the impression that, with oil having been discovered off our shores, our assets and prowess in agriculture can be neglected, and even jettisoned. Venezuela was “flying high” when oil was above US0/barrel, and neglected agriculture and other areas of the economy that could have provided a diversified base. With oil now stubbornly below US, the Venezuelan Government has discovered that farming and other entrepreneurial activities cannot be turned on like an oil spigot. Once that expertise is discarded, it is very difficult to rebuild.
In the meantime, scoffing at what he called President Trump’s “bluster”, President Maduro has offered to meet him on the sidelines of the upcoming UN General Assembly Meeting next month. The White House later released a statement effectively denying the request: “Trump will gladly speak with the leader of Venezuela as soon as democracy is restored in that country.”
The US Government has slapped a series of sanctions against Maduro’s administration in response to a crackdown on Opposition leaders and the recent election of the constituent assembly, but has held off from cutting back imports of petroleum products for fear of a blowback on its economy.
Pre-empting US VP Pence’s six-day tour of Latin America, the community, which had criticised Maduro’s actions, blasted the US’ suggestion at a foreign minister’s meeting of the trade bloc Mercosur. The interests of the US and the region are best served by non-interventionary measures.
