America does not fight for free

Mar 19, 2025 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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Peeping Tom…

Kaieteur News- Guyana must be wary of America. That much is clear. The United States has recently issued a strong rebuke, warning Venezuela of consequences for any threats to Guyana. But we should not take that to mean a guarantee of US protection for Guyana.

American statements and declarations are no guarantees. And words do not stop incursions. They do not halt aggression. The idea that America will rush to Guyana’s defense if Venezuela makes a move on Essequibo is one that must be dismissed— quickly and entirely.

Americans do not fight wars for the sake of principle. They fight for interests, and even then, with great reluctance. Guyana’s vast oil reserves may seem a compelling interest, but the presence of U.S. companies extracting those reserves does not, in and of itself, constitute a reason for military intervention. American companies operate in hostile regions all over the world, and the U.S. government does not scramble jets every time a corporate interest is threatened. To believe otherwise is to misread history.

Economic interests alone are not enough to encourage the United States to come to the defense of other countries. The Americans are not in the business of fighting for small nations when larger prizes are in play.

Guyana has oil, yes, but Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves in the world—an untapped wealth that has long tempted Washington. If anything, America is more likely to be interested in securing access to Venezuela’s resources than in expending military resources to defend Guyana.

The calculation in Washington is clear: a direct confrontation with Venezuela risks pushing Caracas closer to Russia, Iran and China, while a negotiated settlement—perhaps even one that sells Guyana short—could pave the way for American access to Venezuela’s vast petroleum deposits. Guyana must recognise that in this game of great power politics, it is merely a piece on the board, not the player moving the pieces.

Guyana’s dilemma, in part, is that the United States has always been a part of the problem. It was the United States that, for decades, watched as Venezuela repeatedly resurrected its dubious claim to Guyanese territory. It was the United States that, for years, refused to directly rebuke Caracas for this blatant attempt at land-grabbing.  It was only when the APNU+AFC government applied pressure that Washington finally took a stance, and even then, the stance was measured, calculated, and careful not to commit too much. America’s caution must not be mistaken for concern. It is simply the way of great powers to keep their options open.

It is one thing for Washington to say that Venezuela will face consequences for aggression against Guyana. It is another thing altogether for American troops to land in Georgetown or for American fighter jets to patrol Guyanese airspace. There is no promise of intervention, no ironclad agreement, no defense pact that guarantees U.S. military support.

The lesson is a simple one: America does what is convenient for America. And if a deal can be struck with Venezuela at Guyana’s expense, Washington will not hesitate to sign it. Guyana is important, but it is not that important. It is a small country with immense resources, but great powers have never had trouble extracting wealth from small nations while leaving them to fend for themselves.

Oil will not save Guyana. The presence of ExxonMobil and other U.S. firms does not bind America to Guyana’s fate. The idea that U.S. Marines will come to rescue Essequibo is a fiction, and one that Guyanese must abandon immediately.

If Guyana is to learn anything from history, it must look to its true and only reliable ally in this matter: Brazil. Unlike the United States, Brazil has a direct interest in maintaining the sanctity of international borders. Unlike the United States, Brazil recognizes that allowing Venezuela to erode the legitimacy of historical treaties threatens its own territorial integrity.

Brazil is defending Guyana because it understands that a world in which treaties can be cast aside is a world that endangers Brazil itself. This is how nations operate—not out of sentiment, but out of self-interest.  But it is doubtful too that Brazil will provide military support to Guyana in the event of a Venezuelan incursion.

For decades, Guyana’s best and only weapon has been diplomacy. It has been a consistent weapon, a steady one, and so far, an effective one. But diplomacy is not eternal. It works until it doesn’t. And if the day comes when diplomacy fails, Guyana must understand that it will stand alone.

Some argue that, in this context, Guyana must build its military, that it must prepare to hold off Venezuela until help arrives. But help will not arrive. This is the fundamental flaw in the strategy. No amount of oil revenue, no volume of military spending, will allow Guyana to match Venezuela’s military capabilities.

Nor should America be seen as a saviour. It is a calculating entity, an empire that moves according to its own interests. If Guyana makes the mistake of calling for US military support, it will find itself in a deal so skewed, so predatory, that the end result will be costly.

America does not fight for free. As Ukraine is now discovering.  If America does ever come to Guyana’s rescue, it will extract from Guyana all that it can, and by the time the dust settles, Essequibo may remain under Guyana’s flag, but the nation’s wealth will belong to Washington. That is the cost of American “help.”

Guyanese, therefore, must discard the illusion that America is the answer. The only true defense strategy is diplomacy. The best path forward is the one that does not rely on the fickle promises of great powers. Diplomacy has held so far. Let it continue to hold.

(America does not fight for free)

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

 

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• Essequibo, Guyana, Peeping Tom, United States, Venezuela

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