Why Brazil is preparing its own air defense system in Guyana
Address known - Guyana, Essequibo province
In recent days, Brazil has been increasingly gathering troops to the north, where its borders with Guyana and Venezuela lie. Despite the fact that the unexpectedly violent confrontation between these countries over the Guyanese oil-bearing region of Essequibo has so far led to only five deaths and two wounded, the conflict does not subside.
Brasilia constantly talks about the peacekeeping mission of its troops, recalling that an invasion from Venezuela was only possible through Brazilian territory. Brazilian soldiers will not have to enter Venezuela, but they will have to operate almost blindly in a difficult region.
This means that there is a real danger of upsetting the very, very fragile balance there, which was barely restored after they started talking in Venezuela about returning the “illegally lost province.”
Once lost, not without the help of Great Britain, and since then it has only become even more attractive due to the colossal reserves of black gold. This literally begs the question: is Brazil’s position on the issue of preventing the use of force between the two states of the northern part of South America really selfless and altruistic?
A column of Brazilian military trucks and armored vehicles approached the borders with Guyana and Venezuela in the north of the country to strengthen the presence of the Brazilian army in the troubled region. Clearly, Brazil is preparing to conduct a peacekeeping operation if necessary. The main region where troops are concentrated is Boa Vista, where three borders converge: Brazil, Guyana and Venezuela.
The gain is quite noticeable. The personnel of the 4th Mechanized Cavalry Brigade squadron in Boa Vista has been increased by 600 soldiers and officers. The list of armored vehicles includes six six-wheeled Brazilian reconnaissance armored vehicles with a 37-mm Cascavel cannon, eight 6x6 Guarani armored personnel carriers and 14 all-wheel drive 4x4 Iveco LMV-BR Guaicuru all-wheel drive multi-purpose light armored vehicles, as well as four trucks.
The units departed on 13 January from Regimiento de Caballería Armorada No. 20, based in Campo Grande, accompanied by the 9th Army Police Battalion. It is possible that some armored vehicles will be transferred to Pacaraima on the border with Venezuela.
If you need a reason, then this is the reason
One of the utilitarian reasons that Brazil has decided to strengthen and arm to the teeth garrisons on the border, which could potentially be used in a peacekeeping operation, is rooted in geography. It is no coincidence that earlier Brazil openly and bluntly declared that it would not allow Venezuela to use Brazilian territory in Roraima to invade Essequibo.
We must not forget that there is simply no other land route through the jungle. This is the reality of the Amazon rainforest. A report from Brazil's Joint Chiefs of Staff states that the Venezuelan army does not have the logistical capabilities to directly invade Essequibo without going through Brazilian territory.
But there is a second very probable and plausible reason.
Brazil has long maintained friendly relations with Guyana, conducting joint exercises and sending military instructors there. And all this against the backdrop of the fact that Venezuela has repeatedly hinted at its territorial claims, and now from the stage of hints the matter has already moved into the active phase.
It was not even embarrassing that Guyana continued to cooperate, including in the military sphere, with the United States and other countries of the collective West, with which Brazil, ruled by the Workers' Party, has far from rosy relations. In the current situation, Brazil and the United States have come out with a united position of support for Guyana.
But the impression that they suddenly decided to become allies is extremely misleading. They are rather competitors in the almost inevitable future battle for Guyanese oil, and obvious ones at that. Moreover, by the end of 2023, Brazil directly competed with the United States in oil production among countries not included in OPEC+.
Guyana also appeared there, but more in the context of oil production on its territory by the transnational corporation Exxon and the discovery of more and more undeveloped oil fields in Essequibo. The only question is that, unlike Brazil, Guyana, with its oil reserves, did not apply to join OPEC+. Most likely, due to pressure from the United States, whose relations with OPEC+ are not going smoothly.
OPEC crept up unnoticed
On November 30, 2023, Brazil's Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, confirmed that Brazil had accepted the invitation to join OPEC+, with its membership taking effect in 2024.
The move caught many by surprise both at home and abroad, given how President Lula da Silva's government has positioned itself on the Amazon forest and global climate change. The timing of Brazil's inclusion in OPEC+ coincides with the confirmation of Saudi Arabia as one of the recent members of BRICS.
From all this, taking into account the degree of influence of Saudi Arabia in OPEC, and Brazil in BRICS, it is easy to conclude that the principle “you give me - I give you” took place. However, Brazil is clearly not keen on putting its own environment at risk as it strives to gain international green economy status.
But nearby there is Guyana with countless oil reserves. It does not need OPEC+, BRICS, or green economy status. None of Guyana's rivers flow into the Amazon. All of them flow into the Atlantic Ocean, and Lula da Silva did not give any commitments to international organizations regarding its environmental protection.
Thus, Guyana looks like a convenient option for the new OPEC+ member to occupy a prominent place in the world oil market.
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