The Venezuela-Guyana Border Dispute: Britain’s Colonial Legacy in Latin America

The expiration in 1982 of the Protocol of Port-of-Spain reheated a border dispute between Venezuela and Guyana that had been frozen since 1970, Almost at once, Venezuelan ultranationalists asserted the need to recover by force the Essequibo region of Guyana–two-thirds of that country–which Venezuela had long claimed. While rejecting force as a solution, the Venezuelan government has indicated that the Protocol will not be renewed, thus pushing the economically and politically vulnerable Guyana toward new and uncertain negotiations. This book describes the actors and their stake in the conflict, the capacity of each to develop the disputed region, and the implications of the Venezuelan claim for both sides. Incorporating a critical examination of the conflict’s historical-legal background, Dr. Braveboy-Wagner chronicles the progress of the dispute through its various stages and describes the attempts of both sides to elicit outside support, especially from other Third World nations. Finally, she assesses the possibilities for a solution by force and by compromise and considers the potential for U.S. involvement.