Zone of Peace in peril

Dec 18, 2025 Editorial, News

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(Kaieteur News) – The Caribbean’s long-cherished identity as a “zone of peace” is facing its most serious test in decades and Guyana now finds itself uncomfortably close to the centre of an escalating geopolitical storm.

The recent warning by Forward Guyana Movement leader and Member of Parliament Amanza Walton-Desir should not be dismissed as alarmist rhetoric. Rather, it should be treated as a sober and timely call for caution, diplomacy and strategic restraint at a moment when miscalculation could permanently alter Guyana’s trajectory.

The rising tension between the United States and Venezuela, punctuated by military build-ups, maritime seizures, and increasingly hostile rhetoric, is not an abstract foreign policy dispute. It is unfolding in Guyana’s immediate neighbourhood, in waters that sustain regional trade and economies, and against the backdrop of Guyana’s unresolved territorial controversy with Venezuela. Walton-Desir is correct to warn that any escalation into open conflict would have “devastating and irreversible consequences” for Guyana. Geography alone ensures that Guyana would not be a bystander in any regional crisis.

The government of Guyana must therefore resist the temptation to view the situation solely through the narrow lens of alliances or short-term security assurances. While Guyana has legitimate concerns about Venezuela’s posture toward Essequibo, war or militarisation in the region would not strengthen Guyana’s sovereignty or security. On the contrary, it would expose the country to risks it is ill-equipped to manage.

Walton-Desir’s warning about mass migration is particularly salient. Guyana is already grappling with the pressures of rapid economic growth, uneven development and strained public services. A sudden influx of Venezuelan refugees fleeing conflict would overwhelm healthcare facilities, schools, housing, and social support systems. The experience of other countries shows that refugee crises, if not carefully managed, can generate long-term social tension, economic stress, and political instability. For a developing state like Guyana, the consequences could set back national progress by decades.

Beyond humanitarian concerns, there are serious security implications. Conflict in Venezuela would likely trigger the movement of illegal arms, narcotics, and organised criminal networks across porous borders and maritime routes. Guyana’s security institutions, while improving, remain limited in capacity. An unstable regional environment would stretch law enforcement and defence resources thin, increasing vulnerability to transnational crime and undermining public safety.

Walton-Desir’s critique of CARICOM also deserves careful consideration. The Caribbean Community was founded, in part, to give small states collective strength in a world dominated by powerful actors. Yet, as she rightly notes, the region has too often failed to act with unity and resolve. External powers have historically exploited these fractures, engaging states individually rather than respecting a coherent regional position. In the current crisis, this weakness is once again being exposed.

For Guyana, CARICOM unity is not a luxury; it is a necessity. A fragmented regional response increases the likelihood that Caribbean states become collateral damage in great-power rivalry. The Guyanese government should therefore be actively pushing for stronger CARICOM engagement, not merely issuing statements but advocating for coordinated diplomacy, mediation, and a firm recommitment to the region’s “zone of peace” declaration.

This is also a moment for Guyana’s leadership to exercise restraint in its own rhetoric and policy choices. Alignments with powerful allies may offer short-term reassurance, but they also carry long-term risks if Guyana is perceived as a staging ground or strategic pawn in a wider confrontation. Walton-Desir’s call for leaders to be “very sober and very temperate” is not a sign of weakness; it is an appeal to statesmanship.

History offers sobering lessons. Conflicts rarely remain contained, and smaller states often bear disproportionate costs despite having little influence over the decisions that trigger war. The Caribbean has benefited enormously from decades of relative peace, allowing countries like Guyana to focus on development, integration, and social progress. Allowing that legacy to erode would be a profound failure of leadership.

The government of Guyana must therefore heed Walton-Desir’s warning and act decisively in favour of de-escalation, diplomacy, and regional solidarity. This means engaging Venezuela through lawful international mechanisms, urging restraint from all external actors, strengthening CARICOM’s collective voice, and preparing contingency plans to protect Guyanese citizens should tensions worsen. Walton-Desir has sounded the alarm. The government would be wise to listen.

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• Amanza Walton-Desir, Editorial, peril, United States and Venezuela, Zone of Peace

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