Dear Editor,
I am writing to express my concern about the recent Argyle accord, which was signed by the leaders of Guyana and Venezuela to de-escalate the territorial ‘dispute’ over the Essequibo region. While I appreciate the efforts to avoid a military confrontation, I fear that this accord is nothing but a temporary and superficial solution that does not address the root cause(s) of the conflict.
The Argyle accord was the result of a “man to man” meeting between President Ali and ‘Strongman” Maduro at the Argyle Airport in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. This meeting was arranged after Venezuela held a controversial referendum in November 2023, in which 87% of the voters supported the annexation of the Essequibo region. The referendum was widely condemned by the international community as illegal and illegitimate, and sparked a diplomatic crisis that threatened to escalate into a war. In international diplomacy, a “strongman” leader may use a “man-to-man” approach, relying on personal relationships and charisma rather than institutions or international laws. He or She may also pursue aggressive or expansionist policies, seeking to dominate or influence other countries or regions. Some examples of “strongman” leaders in the world today are Vladimir Putin of Russia, Kim Jong Un of North Korea, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, just to name a few.
Therefore, it is naive to think that the Argyle accord, or any accord, applies to “strongman” diplomacy. Maduro has shown no signs of respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Guyana, nor the human rights and dignity of his own people. He has repeatedly violated the Geneva Agreement, the Paris Arbitral Award of 1899, which established the current border, and the Port of Spain Protocol of 1970, which reaffirmed the validity of the award. He has also ignored the rulings of the International Court of Justice, which declared in 2018 that it had jurisdiction to hear the case, and in 2021 and 2023 that the border was valid and binding. I believe the solution on the Guyana side is to create massive incentives for relocation of over two thirds of the 800,000 plus population to the Essequibo region, especially from the overcrowded Region Four that suffers from constant flooding and economic losses.
Lastly, it should create a “free trade zone” in Essequibo to trade with Venezuelan people, which Trinidad and Barbados have currently in place with Venezuela. I am cognizant that some critics may think such an agreement would only benefit the Maduro regime and its cronies. The Argyle accord is not the solution, but a nebulous attempt to ease the current border tension.
Sincerely,
Keith Bernard