Is Venezuela Going to War?

On December 3, Venezuela’s authoritarian regime held a referendum regarding its claim over a territory known as El Essequibo.

El Essequibo is an oil- and mineral-rich region slightly larger than the State of Georgia but with a population of just 128,000 people. This territory has been controlled by the country of Guyana since the Paris Arbitral Award of 1899, which is an arrangement that Venezuela has never accepted, pointing out irregularities in the decision-making process. Despite Venezuela’s complaints, tensions never escalated between the two countries, especially since a 1966 agreement between the United Kingdom (Guyana was then a British colony) and Venezuela to commit to a peaceful resolution to the territorial dispute.