Venezuela has the wherewithal to leverage aggression at Guyana

Jul 13, 2015 Letters

Dear Editor,
Never before has Guyana’s domestic security environment been so volatile, not even during the upheaval of the sixties. Today, Guyana is faced with threats to her national security on all fronts. We begin the list with acts of international delinquency posed by a bellicose Venezuela; followed by an upsurge in violent crimes, especially of the armed variety, and a manufactured political stalemate which has the potential to threaten economic and social development.
In the Arthashastra, Kautilya wrote that a state could be at risk from four types of threats- internal, external, externally-aided internal and internally-aided external.
He advised that of these four types, internal threats should be taken care of immediately, for internal troubles, like the fear of the lurking snake, are far more serious than external threats. The most dangerous enemy, he posited, is the enemy within.
“Kautilya’s teachings on internal security and his skillful expression of the warp and weft of internal and external security have great relevance in the globalised 21st century. Destabilising a country through internal disturbances is more economical and less objectionable, particularly when direct warfare is not an option and international borders cannot be violated. External adversaries, particularly the weaker ones, find it easier to create and aid forces which cause internal unrest and instability”
Even as Guyanese count their blessings for the country’s recent ability to checkmate Venezuela’s aggression; most nurtured a dream, the one so resonantly expressed by President Granger, to get Venezuela off of our backs, once and for all.
Accusations of aiding America and Britain in espionage were to be expected as these were the very tactics employed by President Gamal Abdel Nasser, after Egypt’s humiliating defeat by Israel during the 1967 war. We should not forget too, that when the Cubana air disaster occurred in 1976, four Venezuelan terrorists took part in that attack, which claimed the lives of several young Guyanese.
So Venezuela has the wherewithal to leverage aggression at Guyana in diverse ways. If one took into consideration the presence of numerous terrorist cells in Venezuela, and other South American countries.
And their relation with Al-shabab the Somalia-based militant Islamist group aligned with Al-Qaeda- that was responsible for the deadly Westgate shopping mall attack in Kenya. One sees how easy it is for Venezuela to aggress Guyana, especially given our close alliance with the United States.
Many observers acknowledging that a significant oil find here will forever change Guyana’s geopolitical standing believe that Venezuela’s recent escapades, apart from serving a domestic function, might very well be externally induced. Venezuela’s recent flare up could be viewed as a well calculated attempt to infuriate The United States of America and stymie its attempt to reduce its dependence on oil obtained from suppliers deemed hostile.
Given steady signs of improvement in U.S- Cuba, relations and America’s intent to close its military base there, Guyana’s strategic geographical position could become a focal point in the region once again, for a suitable replacement. Should the latter become a reality, it would most definitely stop Venezuela dead in its tracks and infuriate its allies. Of course only time will tell.
Clairmont Featherstone

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