InternationalCommentary

Next Steps for the US-Guyana Strategic Partnership

Iran Would Have Attacked First, Trump Says

US Struck Iran Based on Intel on Israel Attack Plans, Officials Say

US Embassies in Middle East Targeted by Drones, Mobs

 PoliticsSecurityNews

EXCLUSIVE: New GOP Bill Looks to ‘Deliver Justice’ for Five-Year-Old Struck by Illegal Alien Truck Driver

‘YOUR DAY WILL COME’: Democrat Vows Retribution Against ICE While Sponsoring Bill to Block Agents From Getting Jobs

Small Georgia Town Is at the Center of Latest ICE Fight 

It’s Official: Illegal Alien-Loving Dems Cannot Stand American Citizens

 InternationalCommentary

Next Steps for the US-Guyana Strategic Partnership

 InternationalCommentary

Cracking Down on China’s Trade Cheating the Right Way

Time for Denmark and the United States to Secure Greenland

Daughter Pleads for Father’s Release From Chinese Prison 

War Powers Showdown: House and Senate Vote on Operation Epic Fury

EXCLUSIVE: Major Pro-Life Group Endorses Ohio’s Jon Husted for Senate

Golden Dome for America: The Secrecy Is Rational—the Cost Is Manageable—and the Imperative Is Inarguable

Amid Shutdown, 5 Major Homeland Security Responsibilities Are Unfunded

Why Is Virginia’s Redistricting Referendum on Pause?

Georgia Voters Support SAVE America Act—Even as State’s Democrat Senators Oppose It

Ohio Voters Send a ‘Clear Message’ With Support for SAVE America Act Provisions

Trump Calls on Senate to Pass SAVE America Act

Hegseth: Iran Strikes ‘Not Iraq,’ ‘Not Endless’

BREAKING: Trump Says Khamenei Is Dead. What Happens Now in Iran? 

International PoliticsSecurityNews

‘MAJOR COMBAT OPERATIONS’: Trump Announces Joint US-Israel Operation Against Iran

‘War Was Visited Upon These People’: Play About Oct. 7 Comes to DC

 International Commentary

Russia Operating ‘Systematic Child Abduction Operation,’ EU Ambassador Says

Meet the People Fueling Chaos in Minneapolis, New York, and Beyond 

OH BABY! Couples Could Make Big Money on Trump Accounts

What Comes Next for Venezuela? State Department Official Explains

International Commentary

‘Their Whole Currency Is Lying’: Why You Can’t Negotiate With Iran

Victor Davis Hanson: Trump’s Cost-Benefit Analysis for Striking Iran

What Susan Rice Really Meant by Her Retribution Threat

Health Care Commentary

Victor Davis Hanson: Cancer Update, ‘Your Prayers Work, Folks’

InternationalCommentary

Next Steps for the US-Guyana Strategic Partnership

Irfaan Ali, President of Guyana, EU-CELAC Summit 2023 In Brussels. (Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Wilson Beaver is a Senior Policy Advisor for Defense Budgeting and NATO Policy in The Heritage Foundation’s Allison Center for National Security.

Eduardo Gonzalez is a member of the Young Leaders Program at The Heritage Foundation.

For over 100 years tensions have flared between Venezuela and Guyana concerning the Essequibo region. But with the capture of Nicolas Maduro, a rare opportunity for peace and stability has presented itself.

Tensions date back to the 19th century with Venezuela’s rejection of the 1899 Arbitral Award, which settled the Guyanese-Venezuelan border as recognized by international law. Venezuela’s claim of the Essequibo region would strip Guyana of about 160,000 kilometers worth of territory, approximately two-thirds of Guyana’s total landmass. The contested region is home to large quantities of natural resources including gold, diamonds, and most notably, oil. In the years before his capture, Maduro had become increasingly adamant about Venezuela’s ownership of the region and had begun mobilizing troops along the border.

Maduro’s action directly threatened the stability and security of the Essequibo region. In March 2020, two Venezuelan fighter jets entered Guyanese airspace. In March 2025, a Venezuelan naval ship entered Guyanese waters and demanded information from ExxonMobil’s floating production storage and offloading ship Prosperity. Additionally, in February 2025, six Guyana Defense Force soldiers were injured in an ambush attack by a Venezuelan gang while patrolling the border.

However, with Maduro’s removal, stability in the region now seems attainable. Guyanese President Irfaan Ali has stated that Guyana “welcomes the leadership of the President of the United States in reaffirming shared commitments to freedom, democracy, and regional security.”

In terms of security cooperation, the U.S. has always supported Guyanese sovereignty against Venezuelan claims on the Essequibo region. During a visit to Guyana in early 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that if Venezuela were to attack Guyana it would be “a very bad day, a very bad week for them.” These words came shortly after Secretary Rubio had finished signing a Memorandum of Understanding for increased security cooperation between the U.S. and Guyana.

This Memorandum of Understanding for security cooperation was later expanded upon in a Statement of Intent for increased military collaboration signed in December of 2025.

These agreements are products of a long history of collaboration. Since 2003, the Florida National Guard has maintained a significant partnership with the Guyana Defense Force, conducting multiple joint training exercises throughout the past two decades. 

Beyond security engagement, U.S. investment into Guyana has been immense, especially in recent years. American energy giant ExxonMobil discovered oil in the Stabroek Block in 2015 and has poured billions of dollars into operations there. Exxon’s most recent investment in December 2025 totaled $6.8 billion.

Exxon leads the oil consortium in Guyana with a 45% ownership share. Chevron and China National Offshore Oil Corporation own the remaining 30% and 25%, respectively.

However, the oil industry is not the only sector that has seen an influx of U.S. investment. In the past three years, American hotel companies such as Marriott and Hyatt Place have both opened hotels in Georgetown, Guyana’s capital city. Hilton is set to open two hotels in Georgetown by 2027.

From 2020 to 2024, U.S. investment in Guyana totaled over $15 billion, constituting about 96% of Guyana’s foreign direct investment. In the first quarter of 2025, U.S. investment represented 99%.

Chinese investment in Guyana is significant, with Chinese companies having been awarded hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of contracts across Guyana’s tourism, construction, energy, and transportation infrastructures. Most significantly, as stated before, Chinese oil company China National Offshore Oil Corporation owns 25% of the Exxon led oil venture in the Stabroek Block.

Much of this investment came after Guyana signed onto the Belt and Road Initiative in 2018, though Chinese companies were present before then. Chinese cooperation with Guyana also includes various donations across different fields, the deployment of Chinese doctors to Guyana, and other “goodwill” actions.

However, relations have cooled somewhat between China and Guyana over China’s stance on the Essequibo region. In April 2025, Guyana criticized China for suggesting Guyana should negotiate with Venezuela regarding the Essequibo region. Furthermore, Guyana rebuked China for failing to take a side on the issue in the light of recent Venezuelan aggression.

In comparison, America has shown unwavering support of Guyanese sovereignty, has arrested the dictator who was threatening Guyana with invasion, and has a long-term interest in the economic development of Guyana. The United States is in a unique position to cement itself as Guyana’s strongest strategic partner in a mutually beneficial enhanced security and economic relationship.

What Do We Do About China?

At Long Last, Washington Remembers Its Own Neighborhood

Cracking Down on China’s Trade Cheating the Right Way

Read the first chapter of The Woketopus right now for FREE

Today, even with President Trump’s victory, leftist elites have their tentacles in every aspect of our government.

The Daily Signal’s own Tyler O’Neil exposes this leftist cabal in his new book, The Woketopus: The Dark Money Cabal Manipulating the Federal Government.

In this book, O’Neil reveals how the Left’s NGO apparatus pursues its woke agenda, maneuvering like an octopus by circumventing Congress and entrenching its interests in the federal government.

You can read the first chapter of this new book for FREE in this eBook, The Woketopus: Chapter One using the secure link below.

The Tony Kinnett Cast

The Daily Signal Podcast

© 2025 The Daily Signal Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

We use cookies on our website. By using our website, you consent to cookies.  Learn More .  

© The Daily Signal