Venezuela Seeks to Take Advantage of Moscow, Tehran, Hamas Wars

A Disaster Looms Over South America

In 1917, Our Lady appeared at Fatima, Portugal, and warned us that war is a punishment for sin. That God would punish the world for its sins in our time through war, hunger, persecution of the Church, and persecution of the Holy Father unless we listened to and obeyed the command of God.

We have not heeded her maternal warning.

In an attempt to challenge the U.S.-led Western order, the totalitarian regime of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, now poses a severe risk of igniting a new war in South America. In a recent “referendum,” the Marxist government is calling for launching a war against its neighbors. This move intends to seize the Essequibo region, hoping to annex a significant portion of Guyana’s territory to rob their oil reserves.

With a stunning 304 billion barrels of proven crude reserves, whose production the government runs, Venezuela cannot manage the massive reserves it already has. Moreover, thanks to the communist regime of Hugo Chávez, which has only worsened during the presidency of his successor, Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela is now the poorest country in South America, with 94 percent of the country living in poverty.

Contrary to some portrayals of this aggression as a long-standing border dispute, it is essential to recognize that the drive to war by Caracas is solely an invention of Venezuela’s leaders that is not rooted in a genuine historical conflict, nor is it desired by the general populous.

For years, Venezuela has operated as a near-dictatorship, aligning itself with anti-Western countries like Russia, Iran and Turkey in pursuit of a global agenda that challenges and undermines the United States and the established Western-led world order.

It is crucial to understand that the current referendum is a deliberate attempt to exploit the global trend towards war and conflict. Recent events, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Turkey’s incursion into Afrin, conflicts in the Caucasus, and the savage Hamas attack on Israel, serve as stark reminders that such actions do not generate in isolation and all have a common cause and finality.

In summary, Venezuela’s actions and aspirations warrant serious attention due to the potential consequences they may have for the region and global stability.

Venezuela’s arrogant posturing poses a risk of spreading a concerning trend in South America and aligning with China’s bellicose behavior in the South China Sea to disrupt international shipping norms and territorial boundaries.

Venezuela, China, Russia and Turkey all have one characteristic in common: They make threats, minor incursions, bully and antagonize their opposition, all while observing the response of their enemies. When they feel bold enough to escalate the aggression because of little opposition, they disregard world public opinion and smash their way forward.

Recent global incidents indicate a worrisome increase in attempts to challenge long-standing borders and norms. For instance, the Iran-backed Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and China’s criticism of the U.S. for allegedly “illegally” entering the South China Sea demonstrate this trend.

The purpose of the recent vote in Venezuela was to authorize an attack on its neighboring country. However, conducting such an attack would be challenging due to the dense jungle terrain of the area Venezuela aims to invade. Nonetheless, Venezuela also lays claims to energy resources within the jungle and offshore, adding further complexity to a situation that becomes increasingly bizarre as it unfolds.

The referendum’s outcome carries significant political implications, including the potential for conflict with Brazil, which could trigger a major war comparable to the Paraguayan war of the 19th century. With an active military of a little over 100,000, Venezuela has little chance of winning given the massive obstacles it faces without help from one or more of its Marxist allies.

On the other hand, the referendum is likely to lead to a series of minor conflicts and enable Venezuela to continue threatening its smaller neighbor gradually, following a similar strategy to Russia’s actions in Ukraine and China’s treatment of Taiwan. In a phased approach, Russia initially annexed Crimea and established separatist republics in eastern Ukraine before further invasion and annexation over several years. Venezuela seems to be adopting a similar model.

Furthermore, Ankara’s invasion of Afrin in 2018 serves as another example of its emulation of controversial tactics. Turkey invaded Afrin, a Kurdish area of Syria, expelling the Kurdish minority and currently occupies the region.

CNN reported that the recent Sunday referendum, which was merely symbolic, asked voters whether they agreed to create a Venezuelan state in the Essequibo region. They would be granting citizenship to its population and “incorporating that state into the map of Venezuelan territory.” Why would the people of Guyana want to become citizens of Venezuela when 7.3 million Venezuelans have fled Maduro’s communist state in 2023 alone?

According to the Venezuelan National Electoral Council, preliminary results for votes, counted by the Marxist dictator, indicated more than 95% agreement with each of the five questions on the ballot.

Venezuela aims to prevent international rulings that would affirm the disputed area as part of Guyana. The response of the international community, currently preoccupied with conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, remains uncertain.

One thing is sure: If Venezuela continues with the strategy of Russia, China and Turkey with little to no reaction from the U.S., a domino effect of Countries will likely cause a Cambodianization that will encompass the entire southern hemisphere, which spells a disaster for South America.