Sign up for the Guyana, South America Weekly Newsletter Absolutely Free!

Venezuela’s Two-Day Military Exercise Sends a Reassuring Message to Guyana
24th of January, 2025. Guyana, South America. GSA News. Guyana News.
Last updated: January 24, 2025 at 5:02 amOn January 23, 2025, Venezuela concluded a sweeping two-day military operation that spanned its vast territory by land, air, and sea. Officially, the operation was a demonstration of military readiness, aimed at defending the nation’s sovereignty, securing its borders, and maintaining peace. This bold showcase of force was meant to project confidence and capability, yet its strategic omissions and the geopolitical ripples it caused tell a more nuanced story.
Despite Venezuela’s long-standing claim over the Essequibo region, which it controversially annexed on maps just a year prior, not a single military jet flew over the disputed territory. No naval vessels ventured into the contested waters. These deliberate absences are as striking as the operation itself. Given the current tensions with Guyana—whose sovereignty over the Essequibo is backed by strong ties to the United States and the watchful eye of the U.S. Southern Command—this omission can be interpreted as a calculated move. It raises the question: was this restraint an act of caution or an unspoken gesture of peace?
The operation, however, was not without its controversies. Tensions flared along Venezuela’s borders with Brazil and Colombia, underscoring the fragile dynamics in the region. President Nicolás Maduro accused Colombia of harboring and supporting cartels and criminal groups, further straining relations with its western neighbor. Meanwhile, Brazil, alarmed by Venezuelan military activity near its border, reacted with unease, prompting Venezuela to temporarily close the border between the two nations. These developments painted a picture of a nation projecting strength outward while managing increasingly fraught relationships within its immediate neighborhood.
For Guyana, the absence of direct Venezuelan military maneuvers in the Essequibo region may carry significant implications. It suggests that Venezuela, despite its fiery rhetoric and symbolic gestures such as redrawing maps, lacks the resolve—or perhaps the intent—to escalate the territorial dispute into open conflict. With the case currently under deliberation at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Venezuela’s actions seem more about posturing than a genuine bid to enforce its claims. The omission of military activity in the disputed region might well be a strategic calculation, signaling to both Guyana and the international community that, for now, diplomacy and legal proceedings take precedence over military provocations.
This restrained approach could also reflect Venezuela’s broader geopolitical calculations. Engaging in aggressive maneuvers in the Essequibo would risk alienating powerful actors like the United States while inviting further international condemnation. By avoiding such actions, Maduro’s administration may be attempting to strike a precarious balance: showcasing military prowess to a domestic audience while avoiding direct confrontations that could escalate into unwinnable conflicts.
In the end, Venezuela’s operation was as much about what it chose not to do as it was about what it did. The absence of action in the Essequibo region sends a message—whether of prudence, hesitation, or a veiled olive branch remains open to interpretation. What is clear, however, is that the stakes in this dispute remain high, and the eyes of the world, particularly those of the ICJ, remain fixed on how it will unfold.