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<a class="gmail-domain gmail-reader-domain" href="https://www.counterpunch.org/2023/12/06/exxonmobil-wants-to-start-a-war-in-south-america/">counterpunch.org</a>
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<h1 class="gmail-reader-title">ExxonMobil Wants to Start a War in South America</h1>
<div class="gmail-credits gmail-reader-credits">Vijay Prashad - December 6, 2023<br></div>
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<p>On December 3, 2023, a large number of registered voters in Venezuela
voted in a referendum over the Essequibo region that is disputed with
neighboring Guyana. Nearly all those who <a href="https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=JATfH2eKb4CLsSfyNiqx5a3wZZ78YPofQhcxJzLQHTt8YtSy3TUyHx-2FFFXCczkr2RU6lTcTDKngd8N9SGiJJX9BdD3E0Qwz0bcO7mUwj94bOVr4eConmjB31J38sGUHBCQVuKgKVX3gepdnc2HH6S2MZrZQDeivA1jUYlr04yCc-3D0NFO_uRTLoi4XA28039dJ6SHFk0rBPq4hgu1oh9k-2Bd-2BJS05OiGpCCTcXarqbD-2FCmAgxbwOxnfndr4xa1VAKswZVzf6pIAPr1TRsZlwzPgB3Z3NlON0IU-2Fg47ElGpz7fIxkDsvHRx08hyRWpUx49m0Y4nf3-2B7rXsv6EfWyn2Lp4YT8lwNZlKd-2BPUfN3leD6bsvf2IzrVDAtSTbnM-2B-2FJewXaC-2BRijeuabpfTtkLlPXtC-2Bda8IAhtFpMw8SU4Uw3OmmYmYDCjPgHYQksk6WahM-2F6Ot2eOC9d-2BVMYlyNESqXzxWXdrn8xkwhoQMF-2Fod-2FrxDeHikx8Bp6LYVSqFp81WzmCo2qWqs1DcoN9mVrgqv90JPh0eclsINKkikluSMCWrXM-2BhOLt273zK1Rtfm7QqkFeGGce2Gph44QuWxbMszzoN6xuAWL-2Fgy1TNPr4K4D1h4smh8Hp0rZs6bCsGBbnQdfegD1MQbN-2BY5wYXf5ZNuWHGdyw9chXBKjpd6LI6E49X98tRrOeUj231K91ZMm4dlNwSMBPRkTiiR-2FiGwiWBX0zCFTBKzWuR9rMXEVH9PAMdoPiwLnsUExAE0gBrr7Tu5RVfQG1wjvciDP4qGmFfGv-2BbhlctiRpSsY2OX23RZEkiMe43d3xgjDYhQXLHqS3fSzb5nHBq0sdWIwN5Acau80wg7BB81QTaxgKvTgv5y12XrlQiJ4cSnBOABkLrOtDJ7neeOAlzWNfcGsRpPQPIJb2iM5P9nXu1w0-2BdA-2BpcRhVhU8Jq-2BnckjT4WFYNoHmCTMlWCGIeZBXZC6e8UU7VU2fbUs4qduMRbeD5WbF9Fq4lF4XvAu6R" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">voted</a> answered
yes to the five questions. These questions asked the Venezuelan people
to affirm the sovereignty of their country over Essequibo. “Today,” <a href="https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=JATfH2eKb4CLsSfyNiqx5a3wZZ78YPofQhcxJzLQHTt8YtSy3TUyHx-2FFFXCczkr2hQm2heTWJTt1gjsDQUcD5UySw6oEjqOFZ-2BMMlkuA7PBZHFfSMzGp0XHiygqB43zxIRZAzDG3xGUdZk9rnq1JIn3ZUFwwWLFTaUdHKVhY6ZU-3DGheM_uRTLoi4XA28039dJ6SHFk0rBPq4hgu1oh9k-2Bd-2BJS05OiGpCCTcXarqbD-2FCmAgxbwOxnfndr4xa1VAKswZVzf6pIAPr1TRsZlwzPgB3Z3NlON0IU-2Fg47ElGpz7fIxkDsvHRx08hyRWpUx49m0Y4nf3-2B7rXsv6EfWyn2Lp4YT8lwNZlKd-2BPUfN3leD6bsvf2IzrVDAtSTbnM-2B-2FJewXaC-2BRijeuabpfTtkLlPXtC-2Bda8IAhtFpMw8SU4Uw3OmmYmYDCjPgHYQksk6WahM-2F6Ot2eOC9d-2BVMYlyNESqXzxWXdrn8xkwhoQMF-2Fod-2FrxDeHikx8Bp6LYVSqFp81WzmCo2qWqs1DcoN9mVrgqv90JPh0eclsINKkikluSMCWrXM-2BhOLt273zK1Rtfm7QqkFeGGce2Gph44QuWxbMszzoN6xuAWL-2Fgy1TNPr4K4D1h4smh8Hp0rZs6bCsGBbnQdfegD1MQbN-2BY5wYXf5ZNuWHGdyw9chXBKjpd6LI6E49X98tRrOeUj231K91ZMm4dlNwSMBPRkTiiR-2FiGwiWBX0zCFTBKzWuR9rMXEVH9PAMdoPiwLnsUExAE0gBrr7Tu5RVfQG1wsfCpLWaSQsR15NtbSvHag72t8-2Fb626eoX7XRvy-2F-2BUzdRsecbBSBa5t67YYiA-2BgbFOXTyG1UysYOBsZIepv0leNx8tRfFaatqm97eEkeJBoI0EQ5xZaZ-2BNpifZaQ0LctscOmXIQlQaV2P2qhyFHV-2FD2kVVivL35YSk9H-2Flv5I0MSkvOv397tkEmu9TpEhpxq-2FK08JDq5I8Rxg7Fe6PVoKUKusaMRX-2FKvVhGuHhOeOFqm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said</a> Venezuelan
President Nicolas Maduro, “there are no winners or losers.” The only
winner, he said, is Venezuela’s sovereignty. The principal loser, Maduro
said, is ExxonMobil.</p>
<p>In 2022, ExxonMobil <a href="https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=JATfH2eKb4CLsSfyNiqx5ftSL4T7ZiZHxeKNHc0QW8G1BgpsuX6h5lcYsLzOAUcDDF8cKVJI-2F7Pb6EWIajgxdNSCfpf7vEJq-2FOW41N-2FfAQuxfrfyREQZMwIU3N9GCuGK-2BLhaC8usK9iL7MdOGixZQw-3D-3DzWXM_uRTLoi4XA28039dJ6SHFk0rBPq4hgu1oh9k-2Bd-2BJS05OiGpCCTcXarqbD-2FCmAgxbwOxnfndr4xa1VAKswZVzf6pIAPr1TRsZlwzPgB3Z3NlON0IU-2Fg47ElGpz7fIxkDsvHRx08hyRWpUx49m0Y4nf3-2B7rXsv6EfWyn2Lp4YT8lwNZlKd-2BPUfN3leD6bsvf2IzrVDAtSTbnM-2B-2FJewXaC-2BRijeuabpfTtkLlPXtC-2Bda8IAhtFpMw8SU4Uw3OmmYmYDCjPgHYQksk6WahM-2F6Ot2eOC9d-2BVMYlyNESqXzxWXdrn8xkwhoQMF-2Fod-2FrxDeHikx8Bp6LYVSqFp81WzmCo2qWqs1DcoN9mVrgqv90JPh0eclsINKkikluSMCWrXM-2BhOLt273zK1Rtfm7QqkFeGGce2Gph44QuWxbMszzoN6xuAWL-2Fgy1TNPr4K4D1h4smh8Hp0rZs6bCsGBbnQdfegD1MQbN-2BY5wYXf5ZNuWHGdyw9chXBKjpd6LI6E49X98tRrOeUj231K91ZMm4dlNwSMBPRkTiiR-2FiGwiWBX0zCFTBKzWuR9rMXEVH9PAMdoPiwLnsUExAE0gBrr7Tu5RVfQG1wugiM3F0mpt7qLeAdRcFIg67vwBQJlk6tSFZG2adPJ3jJP-2B-2Bu4aPp4mAJULq-2BK7bdQXvthNOIh0U6otTLiP2XI9fEk7Q7FfLUrWg7HcGxfr-2BqwYMadmypuHjdR-2BtxrH9WaWRfWcMibwq-2FeYzXdDwxZSATGIrsYnpkvGsHbRzLG10-2Btgl-2BJPlatTSrbtN7LR9m0r-2BsvHjS-2BFsgof2Eg11mVtE-2BgvX42AMXz4DqHbW67VJ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">made</a> a
profit of $55.7 billion, making it one of the world’s richest and most
powerful oil companies. Companies such as ExxonMobil, exercise an
inordinate power over the world economy and over countries that have oil
reserves. It has tentacles across the world, from Malaysia to
Argentina. In his <em>Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power</em> (2012), Steve Coll <a href="https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=JATfH2eKb4CLsSfyNiqx5Y4DLRLMWUU7u9d4sFuOqwweS60ZwAv7xyEoX6mMtWiLWUZChdxA84mMqGN1Id-2FZfIu-2BMzvDpEJNmetpYh-2FUcO31Xh5uFj36ZiM1-2Bd5grbe2Mgxh_uRTLoi4XA28039dJ6SHFk0rBPq4hgu1oh9k-2Bd-2BJS05OiGpCCTcXarqbD-2FCmAgxbwOxnfndr4xa1VAKswZVzf6pIAPr1TRsZlwzPgB3Z3NlON0IU-2Fg47ElGpz7fIxkDsvHRx08hyRWpUx49m0Y4nf3-2B7rXsv6EfWyn2Lp4YT8lwNZlKd-2BPUfN3leD6bsvf2IzrVDAtSTbnM-2B-2FJewXaC-2BRijeuabpfTtkLlPXtC-2Bda8IAhtFpMw8SU4Uw3OmmYmYDCjPgHYQksk6WahM-2F6Ot2eOC9d-2BVMYlyNESqXzxWXdrn8xkwhoQMF-2Fod-2FrxDeHikx8Bp6LYVSqFp81WzmCo2qWqs1DcoN9mVrgqv90JPh0eclsINKkikluSMCWrXM-2BhOLt273zK1Rtfm7QqkFeGGce2Gph44QuWxbMszzoN6xuAWL-2Fgy1TNPr4K4D1h4smh8Hp0rZs6bCsGBbnQdfegD1MQbN-2BY5wYXf5ZNuWHGdyw9chXBKjpd6LI6E49X98tRrOeUj231K91ZMm4dlNwSMBPRkTiiR-2FiGwiWBX0zCFTBKzWuR9rMXEVH9PAMdoPiwLnsUExAE0gBrr7Tu5RVfQG1wtWbEKeviLQwAxGRcP1qZ7nmpinH-2BpJoQ5XijGUIcIp-2F-2FKA3o3kjPI9NTHyUUOoGGBeza-2B6GqNS7EIYCPfn-2BgVouNVLo9j8dvATIramWWSFthdERKc-2ByKiifFfsDwejK-2FZ7Q-2BS0icEMtpOiLvljgxO6GwR-2F9lMvwBFazh8vgsI919MB7-2BreMyVogbDT70xby774vs7g2h-2F1pSTXpjL6uAGShNoDAs35fbanLr-2F-2BusYL6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">describes</a> how
the company is a “corporate state within the American state.” Leaders
of ExxonMobil have always had an intimate relationship with the U.S.
government: Lee “Iron Ass” Raymond (Chief Executive Officer from 1993 to
2005) was a close personal friend of U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney
and helped shape the U.S. government policy on climate change; Rex
Tillerson (Raymond’s successor in 2006) left the company in 2017 to
become the U.S. Secretary of State under President Donald Trump. Coll
describes how ExxonMobil uses U.S. state power to find more and more oil
reserves and to ensure that ExxonMobil becomes the beneficiary of those
finds.</p>
<p>Walking through the various polling centers in Caracas on the day of
the election, it was clear that the people who voted knew exactly what
they were voting for: not so much against the people of Guyana, a
country with a population of just over 800,000, but they were voting for
Venezuelan sovereignty against companies such as ExxonMobil. The
atmosphere in this vote—although sometimes inflected with Venezuelan
patriotism—was more about the desire to remove the influence of
multinational corporations and to allow the peoples of South America to
solve their disputes and divide their riches among themselves.</p>
<p><strong>When Venezuela Ejected ExxonMobil</strong></p>
<p>When Hugo Chávez won the election to the presidency of Venezuela in
1998, he said almost immediately that the resources of the
country—mostly the oil, which finances the country’s social
development—must be in the hands of the people and not oil companies
such as ExxonMobil. “<em>El petroleo es nuestro</em>” (the oil is ours),
was the slogan of the day. From 2006, Chávez’s government began a cycle
of nationalizations, with oil at the center (oil had been nationalized
in the 1970s, then privatized again two decades later). Most
multinational oil companies accepted the new laws for the regulation of
the oil industry, but two refused: ConocoPhillips and ExxonMobil. Both
companies demanded tens of billions of dollars in compensation, although
the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) <a href="https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=JATfH2eKb4CLsSfyNiqx5VXLudEYbAkdidLp9ErXtmTR5iEa1Q-2BO-2BQgXTm2EhMkRpJeDu0zKadhP-2BFUBZQVfDJEHHXomDbTHG60-2FnkbJjA8ZowxcHLwGtR-2BhXPBy8qrghpK9_uRTLoi4XA28039dJ6SHFk0rBPq4hgu1oh9k-2Bd-2BJS05OiGpCCTcXarqbD-2FCmAgxbwOxnfndr4xa1VAKswZVzf6pIAPr1TRsZlwzPgB3Z3NlON0IU-2Fg47ElGpz7fIxkDsvHRx08hyRWpUx49m0Y4nf3-2B7rXsv6EfWyn2Lp4YT8lwNZlKd-2BPUfN3leD6bsvf2IzrVDAtSTbnM-2B-2FJewXaC-2BRijeuabpfTtkLlPXtC-2Bda8IAhtFpMw8SU4Uw3OmmYmYDCjPgHYQksk6WahM-2F6Ot2eOC9d-2BVMYlyNESqXzxWXdrn8xkwhoQMF-2Fod-2FrxDeHikx8Bp6LYVSqFp81WzmCo2qWqs1DcoN9mVrgqv90JPh0eclsINKkikluSMCWrXM-2BhOLt273zK1Rtfm7QqkFeGGce2Gph44QuWxbMszzoN6xuAWL-2Fgy1TNPr4K4D1h4smh8Hp0rZs6bCsGBbnQdfegD1MQbN-2BY5wYXf5ZNuWHGdyw9chXBKjpd6LI6E49X98tRrOeUj231K91ZMm4dlNwSMBPRkTiiR-2FiGwiWBX0zCFTBKzWuR9rMXEVH9PAMdoPiwLnsUExAE0gBrr7Tu5RVfQG1wrT-2ByjVIVKpJlY3lU0eN1p-2FYxHZGZfX4jKrONOd3dEv6Ojb9yAT5OAWXKqsUSUH-2Fyz0JVoie5Xv-2BlruyaIwAmqRl1-2B7ZuPQeKFEl7ONjAkG77nIkOeH24fyyRODfu9EPRb-2F4C2ieCLj6-2BakUpQzoZcMOGVzXxc7vgyDNZ-2BRudqlC1sI7Fg9gZft7it-2BcwJWK9YWXNVXxDpT1vJS7usSWztpy-2B2ZD1PC9e8n1ovy8nfx5" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">found</a> in 2014 that Venezuela only needed to pay ExxonMobile $1.6 billion.</p>
<p>Rex Tillerson was furious, according to people who worked at ExxonMobil at that time. In 2017, the <em>Washington Post</em> ran a <a href="https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=JATfH2eKb4CLsSfyNiqx5dCRJNx1-2Ft6CAQ3fZlKooDAV6HwpKpchCkcJWXOiV6VG3qrhH6NVvRp-2FF5SrfIq-2B3SDFeEWMVtrCmBdDST-2BXmBxH3iN3-2Fwt-2BGKZWmf9hoY45suhA3VAvgOmZXljoSkZWbBTMlbfFtWDy33TM23kOUc44jyd01HySldjeywYOvr7LbhDu_uRTLoi4XA28039dJ6SHFk0rBPq4hgu1oh9k-2Bd-2BJS05OiGpCCTcXarqbD-2FCmAgxbwOxnfndr4xa1VAKswZVzf6pIAPr1TRsZlwzPgB3Z3NlON0IU-2Fg47ElGpz7fIxkDsvHRx08hyRWpUx49m0Y4nf3-2B7rXsv6EfWyn2Lp4YT8lwNZlKd-2BPUfN3leD6bsvf2IzrVDAtSTbnM-2B-2FJewXaC-2BRijeuabpfTtkLlPXtC-2Bda8IAhtFpMw8SU4Uw3OmmYmYDCjPgHYQksk6WahM-2F6Ot2eOC9d-2BVMYlyNESqXzxWXdrn8xkwhoQMF-2Fod-2FrxDeHikx8Bp6LYVSqFp81WzmCo2qWqs1DcoN9mVrgqv90JPh0eclsINKkikluSMCWrXM-2BhOLt273zK1Rtfm7QqkFeGGce2Gph44QuWxbMszzoN6xuAWL-2Fgy1TNPr4K4D1h4smh8Hp0rZs6bCsGBbnQdfegD1MQbN-2BY5wYXf5ZNuWHGdyw9chXBKjpd6LI6E49X98tRrOeUj231K91ZMm4dlNwSMBPRkTiiR-2FiGwiWBX0zCFTBKzWuR9rMXEVH9PAMdoPiwLnsUExAE0gBrr7Tu5RVfQG1wlRO76TBn-2FWtlHKe3aq-2FWbUA-2BuiyBbCY5xkZYs2100c4LigDZpfGuJgG8oYL7-2BSQv0Bn6csxVRZCaW1STRs8LbNQX1b6wgKppTAkkuTKL2OxJUTQDkbAErR4SijvEkMIq-2BKlGe72HHpQmFN11ZiZnKOwwA4vzBC-2BvNtyJPzfuTIJBr5zDPryt3A7cwWqQbn8GPz7d7jMUdq62bVv0kCz5j538903i7Mc-2FqrZB3SywDTP" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">story</a> that
captured Tillerson’s sentiment: “Rex Tillerson got burned in Venezuela.
Then he got revenge.” ExxonMobil signed a deal with Guyana to explore
for off-shore oil in 1999 but did not start to explore the coastline
till March 2015—after the negative verdict came in from the ICSID.
ExxonMobil used the full force of a U.S. maximum pressure campaign
against Venezuela both to cement its projects in the disputed territory
and to undermine Venezuela’s claim to the Essequibo region. This was
Tillerson’s revenge.</p>
<p><strong>ExxonMobil’s Bad Deal for Guyana</strong></p>
<p>In 2015, ExxonMobil <a href="https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=JATfH2eKb4CLsSfyNiqx5ZTsxQbu0Fk-2FxcClbwRVyvcN6UmMaTd16ncnHxXutb-2F5G2Y3IJwuWwsNmAabcqiKvaiBg1z0xuE4Io3Xi32fGYv98HaLGSlO-2FZCIJarPrgM-2Fnm35Tz0gu-2F41XtKpM7-2FsmJMrEy20W9Zm2q-2FXS62iJuuGPnpP7Cbxy3h-2BTyknBXr0NCov_uRTLoi4XA28039dJ6SHFk0rBPq4hgu1oh9k-2Bd-2BJS05OiGpCCTcXarqbD-2FCmAgxbwOxnfndr4xa1VAKswZVzf6pIAPr1TRsZlwzPgB3Z3NlON0IU-2Fg47ElGpz7fIxkDsvHRx08hyRWpUx49m0Y4nf3-2B7rXsv6EfWyn2Lp4YT8lwNZlKd-2BPUfN3leD6bsvf2IzrVDAtSTbnM-2B-2FJewXaC-2BRijeuabpfTtkLlPXtC-2Bda8IAhtFpMw8SU4Uw3OmmYmYDCjPgHYQksk6WahM-2F6Ot2eOC9d-2BVMYlyNESqXzxWXdrn8xkwhoQMF-2Fod-2FrxDeHikx8Bp6LYVSqFp81WzmCo2qWqs1DcoN9mVrgqv90JPh0eclsINKkikluSMCWrXM-2BhOLt273zK1Rtfm7QqkFeGGce2Gph44QuWxbMszzoN6xuAWL-2Fgy1TNPr4K4D1h4smh8Hp0rZs6bCsGBbnQdfegD1MQbN-2BY5wYXf5ZNuWHGdyw9chXBKjpd6LI6E49X98tRrOeUj231K91ZMm4dlNwSMBPRkTiiR-2FiGwiWBX0zCFTBKzWuR9rMXEVH9PAMdoPiwLnsUExAE0gBrr7Tu5RVfQG1wtyCeIFTFXQ8xYKyD0kvz0RPGs71QRtf-2BCndksdYCPmnpYOzrLd2RxZipsttKKWJjBJ35t3I9oT-2Fvu85ClJV8kBQ5a-2BwBADDEhGnf8fmeGX6yHxzT4w3vhJgNbPXXisp-2Ffw9bNt7fWLcSHvPH1zMpeJ96L7V8D4DcbvFR2tL1pEQbrfuHKWFd1vo-2FI8uwOLyeooCK6TQWXOZLPYEIcYF-2FAv5h76-2Bm8t8q-2FyXBDZdwGjY" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">announced</a> that
it had found 295 feet of “high-quality oil-bearing sandstone
reservoirs”; this is one of the largest oil finds in recent years. The
giant oil company began regular <a href="https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=JATfH2eKb4CLsSfyNiqx5Y7pNBZYv8QHAputG9eRMWtKpo2s0ZGU2PJ3-2BLmTFuVLEaL-2FMBFFzCyLg3B5h7pGXILk-2BYDdCQzIhuVFnzuHGd8lARJf-2B-2BN1wwsekT6Qu8MugcvP_uRTLoi4XA28039dJ6SHFk0rBPq4hgu1oh9k-2Bd-2BJS05OiGpCCTcXarqbD-2FCmAgxbwOxnfndr4xa1VAKswZVzf6pIAPr1TRsZlwzPgB3Z3NlON0IU-2Fg47ElGpz7fIxkDsvHRx08hyRWpUx49m0Y4nf3-2B7rXsv6EfWyn2Lp4YT8lwNZlKd-2BPUfN3leD6bsvf2IzrVDAtSTbnM-2B-2FJewXaC-2BRijeuabpfTtkLlPXtC-2Bda8IAhtFpMw8SU4Uw3OmmYmYDCjPgHYQksk6WahM-2F6Ot2eOC9d-2BVMYlyNESqXzxWXdrn8xkwhoQMF-2Fod-2FrxDeHikx8Bp6LYVSqFp81WzmCo2qWqs1DcoN9mVrgqv90JPh0eclsINKkikluSMCWrXM-2BhOLt273zK1Rtfm7QqkFeGGce2Gph44QuWxbMszzoN6xuAWL-2Fgy1TNPr4K4D1h4smh8Hp0rZs6bCsGBbnQdfegD1MQbN-2BY5wYXf5ZNuWHGdyw9chXBKjpd6LI6E49X98tRrOeUj231K91ZMm4dlNwSMBPRkTiiR-2FiGwiWBX0zCFTBKzWuR9rMXEVH9PAMdoPiwLnsUExAE0gBrr7Tu5RVfQG1wqI68z5twg8oiWN0KAlw26Vrq5hT54dwzMQ7wRP7JCSFWQ5IQvtE7lTZAC7WoXJp5Hjg9BLhfZSms-2FGhpI51A0Rm5LUUw7M0LBgwHDw0M8ucNcR7F45nJil9f-2BEgAO-2BgJN75rDg4ccX4NAPimv-2FNV1sdWbcC6n52RN47APvoEVe4SzQY-2BO4lC6jwSWEGfBR9iWVSO2Q-2Bdy6c3OfeYs-2BRaSa50ZOTa13d-2Fa7Ru64WTwPa" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">consultation</a> with the Guyanese government, including pledges to finance any and every upfront cost for the oil exploration. When the <a href="https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=JATfH2eKb4CLsSfyNiqx5TNeAetA91eWgDaJ9lXDdPUwfw9YtL1U97aRe9vtG4EfSMYbs60zxocQC5WeEC1bj1pVEienzHFa5DUhnrxdWNIAJlsEfrC3gCNrTgTJyhnXotOX_uRTLoi4XA28039dJ6SHFk0rBPq4hgu1oh9k-2Bd-2BJS05OiGpCCTcXarqbD-2FCmAgxbwOxnfndr4xa1VAKswZVzf6pIAPr1TRsZlwzPgB3Z3NlON0IU-2Fg47ElGpz7fIxkDsvHRx08hyRWpUx49m0Y4nf3-2B7rXsv6EfWyn2Lp4YT8lwNZlKd-2BPUfN3leD6bsvf2IzrVDAtSTbnM-2B-2FJewXaC-2BRijeuabpfTtkLlPXtC-2Bda8IAhtFpMw8SU4Uw3OmmYmYDCjPgHYQksk6WahM-2F6Ot2eOC9d-2BVMYlyNESqXzxWXdrn8xkwhoQMF-2Fod-2FrxDeHikx8Bp6LYVSqFp81WzmCo2qWqs1DcoN9mVrgqv90JPh0eclsINKkikluSMCWrXM-2BhOLt273zK1Rtfm7QqkFeGGce2Gph44QuWxbMszzoN6xuAWL-2Fgy1TNPr4K4D1h4smh8Hp0rZs6bCsGBbnQdfegD1MQbN-2BY5wYXf5ZNuWHGdyw9chXBKjpd6LI6E49X98tRrOeUj231K91ZMm4dlNwSMBPRkTiiR-2FiGwiWBX0zCFTBKzWuR9rMXEVH9PAMdoPiwLnsUExAE0gBrr7Tu5RVfQG1wpvV-2BZZWNdw5Y2H5ePEsmHRVU0vOFvjqY1mb0-2BeJoVXLSSQHt-2FlcVNGpr59-2B8DsuvKkWO3-2B17jakT082rqP4iOxv5hXkgut3nkmb7uN8o52Y33ablQp6wJQ41gzOpT11SgCOYYZh5dlj0bDaF75Sb-2FI0XBx4-2BBxM6vLyu0Eq-2Fj-2FYHb7UNxdxEpMP2ehlQnmU2PXsm4SWO-2FkiSHNryzTjkKNfrE-2FWCBhZsnoOxyO6ZjGb" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Production Sharing Agreement</a> between
Guyana’s government and ExxonMobil was leaked, it revealed how poorly
Guyana fared in the negotiations. ExxonMobil was given 75 percent of the
oil revenue toward cost recovery, with the rest shared 50-50 with
Guyana; the oil company, in turn, is exempt from any taxes. Article 32
(“Stability of Agreement”) says that the government “shall not amend,
modify, rescind, terminate, declare invalid or unenforceable, require
renegotiation of, compel replacement or substitution, or otherwise seek
to avoid, alter, or limit this Agreement” without the consent of
ExxonMobil. This agreement traps all future Guyanese governments in a
very poor deal.</p>
<p>Even worse for Guyana is that the deal is made in waters disputed
with Venezuela since the 19th century. Mendacity by the British and then
the United States created the conditions for a border dispute in the
region that had limited problems before the discovery of oil. During the
2000s, Guyana had close fraternal ties with the government of
Venezuela. In 2009, under the PetroCaribe scheme, Guyana <a href="https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=JATfH2eKb4CLsSfyNiqx5ZgfgfwEBOA-2FI6JkHM1qPKEnuUO21tdpgFWFbOVDuBFFbcZqtLyZLlD8PofwF6ByAXNBNnqUvFBVfHa57DjPeDybZsbtAaSNiaX8NNareG-2Fz1VcLEbP0CvREyS1voaVoDvDUc1rQqVjEPwbpTeNf8w1cDf3Khdf6y3KyqEZ19PG9OIL__uRTLoi4XA28039dJ6SHFk0rBPq4hgu1oh9k-2Bd-2BJS05OiGpCCTcXarqbD-2FCmAgxbwOxnfndr4xa1VAKswZVzf6pIAPr1TRsZlwzPgB3Z3NlON0IU-2Fg47ElGpz7fIxkDsvHRx08hyRWpUx49m0Y4nf3-2B7rXsv6EfWyn2Lp4YT8lwNZlKd-2BPUfN3leD6bsvf2IzrVDAtSTbnM-2B-2FJewXaC-2BRijeuabpfTtkLlPXtC-2Bda8IAhtFpMw8SU4Uw3OmmYmYDCjPgHYQksk6WahM-2F6Ot2eOC9d-2BVMYlyNESqXzxWXdrn8xkwhoQMF-2Fod-2FrxDeHikx8Bp6LYVSqFp81WzmCo2qWqs1DcoN9mVrgqv90JPh0eclsINKkikluSMCWrXM-2BhOLt273zK1Rtfm7QqkFeGGce2Gph44QuWxbMszzoN6xuAWL-2Fgy1TNPr4K4D1h4smh8Hp0rZs6bCsGBbnQdfegD1MQbN-2BY5wYXf5ZNuWHGdyw9chXBKjpd6LI6E49X98tRrOeUj231K91ZMm4dlNwSMBPRkTiiR-2FiGwiWBX0zCFTBKzWuR9rMXEVH9PAMdoPiwLnsUExAE0gBrr7Tu5RVfQG1wkZr5fS8F79vnlKuFQIv3YT-2BXUS4XgV4wKo2p636P2-2BWHc2qlSjdL7DnSXiXJ7blswiGDR2konuSaOhPRXZ1DDBKjJ6ZEVvR1dSqz-2BJJUIBTwAGXnolIyiWaitHJme4eubEonz8VcLQ-2F039WqO1F-2BdWr9zQ1n3rfbmb9oNtoZXRF22jU1psEIIjDtl5RtYYNNEN6m5JChmudrglmqqdfUlvwvnvEmUpx7nFDzNJEGOvR" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">bought</a> cut-price
oil from Venezuela in exchange for rice, a boon for Guyana’s rice
industry. The oil-for-rice scheme ended in November 2015, partly due to
lower global oil prices. It was clear to observers in both Georgetown
and Caracas that the scheme suffered from the rising tensions between
the countries over the disputed Essequibo region.</p>
<p><strong>ExxonMobil’s Divide and Rule</strong></p>
<p>The December 3 referendum in Venezuela and the “circles of unity” <a href="https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=JATfH2eKb4CLsSfyNiqx5dkR8jPqW13EWi1NgkzmNLkf3fqsSQc2EstfzdUNW87ROCSz5xciwJWZgmsb4t8e8qNtMac4tYGwQoz0i7JmbkZw49XBDjsxnupcAvRpOxxNbK7J_uRTLoi4XA28039dJ6SHFk0rBPq4hgu1oh9k-2Bd-2BJS05OiGpCCTcXarqbD-2FCmAgxbwOxnfndr4xa1VAKswZVzf6pIAPr1TRsZlwzPgB3Z3NlON0IU-2Fg47ElGpz7fIxkDsvHRx08hyRWpUx49m0Y4nf3-2B7rXsv6EfWyn2Lp4YT8lwNZlKd-2BPUfN3leD6bsvf2IzrVDAtSTbnM-2B-2FJewXaC-2BRijeuabpfTtkLlPXtC-2Bda8IAhtFpMw8SU4Uw3OmmYmYDCjPgHYQksk6WahM-2F6Ot2eOC9d-2BVMYlyNESqXzxWXdrn8xkwhoQMF-2Fod-2FrxDeHikx8Bp6LYVSqFp81WzmCo2qWqs1DcoN9mVrgqv90JPh0eclsINKkikluSMCWrXM-2BhOLt273zK1Rtfm7QqkFeGGce2Gph44QuWxbMszzoN6xuAWL-2Fgy1TNPr4K4D1h4smh8Hp0rZs6bCsGBbnQdfegD1MQbN-2BY5wYXf5ZNuWHGdyw9chXBKjpd6LI6E49X98tRrOeUj231K91ZMm4dlNwSMBPRkTiiR-2FiGwiWBX0zCFTBKzWuR9rMXEVH9PAMdoPiwLnsUExAE0gBrr7Tu5RVfQG1wt8LJpB2b6xk7-2BTVJ-2BBuIx6IZsBUMTZtsMNd0WB3h9jFadJvPXK71L2DoInGG6YDRFSVovnwv5iUYv6gOhFYtvV-2BsTvPjTxuTPWygutn6XLbRTbB-2Bp-2Fqdf-2BTtVk-2FDGRmqrYMT45HrTD-2BfoKwEb-2FlKG48xGX8zwRJRL92hdpey8d6nmn2o-2BJxZTFf09d9Wk-2FrLHkWplimKxUKYV2knXAJOBfpVQ3X-2FnM1bUfcAOnutMmL" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">protest</a> in
Guyana suggest a hardening of the stance of both countries. Meanwhile,
at the sidelines of the COP-28 meeting, Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali
met with Cuba’s President Miguel Díaz-Canel and the Prime Minister of
St. Vincent and the Grenadines Ralph Gonsalves to talk about the
situation. Ali <a href="https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=JATfH2eKb4CLsSfyNiqx5dkR8jPqW13EWi1NgkzmNLnCiR61-2B5XXrdNgQLiYpL9FQD1QAJuhCV5VwcdmHrGWAUxb2F1VFRprsqL-2BPxVdDfmsedXNiEngMmwo1buWDl4ZxIfGgpa2SCTSs1sJrgSTq3-2FcC5gQ7Cs1JkZTIxhBxOFN5y7SxyjtNwTrxlDSbAG5fYYu_uRTLoi4XA28039dJ6SHFk0rBPq4hgu1oh9k-2Bd-2BJS05OiGpCCTcXarqbD-2FCmAgxbwOxnfndr4xa1VAKswZVzf6pIAPr1TRsZlwzPgB3Z3NlON0IU-2Fg47ElGpz7fIxkDsvHRx08hyRWpUx49m0Y4nf3-2B7rXsv6EfWyn2Lp4YT8lwNZlKd-2BPUfN3leD6bsvf2IzrVDAtSTbnM-2B-2FJewXaC-2BRijeuabpfTtkLlPXtC-2Bda8IAhtFpMw8SU4Uw3OmmYmYDCjPgHYQksk6WahM-2F6Ot2eOC9d-2BVMYlyNESqXzxWXdrn8xkwhoQMF-2Fod-2FrxDeHikx8Bp6LYVSqFp81WzmCo2qWqs1DcoN9mVrgqv90JPh0eclsINKkikluSMCWrXM-2BhOLt273zK1Rtfm7QqkFeGGce2Gph44QuWxbMszzoN6xuAWL-2Fgy1TNPr4K4D1h4smh8Hp0rZs6bCsGBbnQdfegD1MQbN-2BY5wYXf5ZNuWHGdyw9chXBKjpd6LI6E49X98tRrOeUj231K91ZMm4dlNwSMBPRkTiiR-2FiGwiWBX0zCFTBKzWuR9rMXEVH9PAMdoPiwLnsUExAE0gBrr7Tu5RVfQG1wl3nUYAuQcc3Pw7I65XCJQZ-2FxWQTJsCZGupeN8QstW9eV1eXGUZ3C9m1Ka6dkWWYF5ZbJUw-2BOgibgqDLjUQ0BaW06hEYhZg79c7jGwi7yfcbbHmBX1GwT-2FSfJ1yGwP-2BNpibrhLU5OosA6zcrZunUCGFBnarbfX605wFWDTYrciIY8b760-2FlYnYD7Zw4bxYdovQ2Y3M95dYFQhmiJLrRV6GNcJPvW94WZ-2B7YqT35vcZ3U" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">urged</a> Díaz-Canel to urge Venezuela to maintain a “zone of peace.”</p>
<p>War does not seem to be on the horizon. The United States has
withdrawn part of its blockade on Venezuela’s oil industry, allowing
Chevron to <a href="https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=JATfH2eKb4CLsSfyNiqx5dcbeafsVo9r5frZu9001RBmwhkSNUzwwJ-2FqAyJ-2FatgnO6YT8tA4-2BYY7XqhtJ8Msm7JCAY-2BBpILZEs-2BWqV7Ut5jKfJO7DLgImZ3UVs9jyUmilFHvlCtwQCRYhtti2LY21CmPTRntnsZJU9r8-2B43F-2BcylePalo3Cv-2B2H06BbmUl7h7ctw_uRTLoi4XA28039dJ6SHFk0rBPq4hgu1oh9k-2Bd-2BJS05OiGpCCTcXarqbD-2FCmAgxbwOxnfndr4xa1VAKswZVzf6pIAPr1TRsZlwzPgB3Z3NlON0IU-2Fg47ElGpz7fIxkDsvHRx08hyRWpUx49m0Y4nf3-2B7rXsv6EfWyn2Lp4YT8lwNZlKd-2BPUfN3leD6bsvf2IzrVDAtSTbnM-2B-2FJewXaC-2BRijeuabpfTtkLlPXtC-2Bda8IAhtFpMw8SU4Uw3OmmYmYDCjPgHYQksk6WahM-2F6Ot2eOC9d-2BVMYlyNESqXzxWXdrn8xkwhoQMF-2Fod-2FrxDeHikx8Bp6LYVSqFp81WzmCo2qWqs1DcoN9mVrgqv90JPh0eclsINKkikluSMCWrXM-2BhOLt273zK1Rtfm7QqkFeGGce2Gph44QuWxbMszzoN6xuAWL-2Fgy1TNPr4K4D1h4smh8Hp0rZs6bCsGBbnQdfegD1MQbN-2BY5wYXf5ZNuWHGdyw9chXBKjpd6LI6E49X98tRrOeUj231K91ZMm4dlNwSMBPRkTiiR-2FiGwiWBX0zCFTBKzWuR9rMXEVH9PAMdoPiwLnsUExAE0gBrr7Tu5RVfQG1wgp-2FLCz-2B9z5PqEfZWOykd9DF6uDgjMmLNVykYpUtK8OI5f-2B8nc30UcSHyjIJymF8fXhxY-2Bzv8TU96wO7L3IKzjk8R6-2FvA2YIlD2XanQIoa2eucqXcb-2B0K-2F0MQA1dCxeMw5bW3T5ZJnNjpiPjFOtmIkA4TAZwp0avbhteNOyaGfB-2B83bZlW4thx-2FRDclvJjd3xHbv5ncQ-2FO4qAECKDNlK21gwF9K6Sj3E-2B6UQWYKqvRhZ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">restart</a> several
oil projects in the Orinoco Belt and in Lake Maracaibo. Washington does
not have the appetite to deepen its conflict with Venezuela. But
ExxonMobil does. Neither the Venezuelan nor the Guyanese people will
benefit from ExxonMobil’s political intervention in the region. That is
why so many Venezuelans who came to cast their vote on December 3 saw
this less as a conflict between Venezuela and Guyana and more as a
conflict between ExxonMobil and the people of these two South American
countries.</p>
<p><em>This article was produced by </em><a href="https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=JATfH2eKb4CLsSfyNiqx5RZT0BfxajS1RjXGbvnVHAxgVbUakCG-2F0mQ6sk-2FeA9ZU6cjP_uRTLoi4XA28039dJ6SHFk0rBPq4hgu1oh9k-2Bd-2BJS05OiGpCCTcXarqbD-2FCmAgxbwOxnfndr4xa1VAKswZVzf6pIAPr1TRsZlwzPgB3Z3NlON0IU-2Fg47ElGpz7fIxkDsvHRx08hyRWpUx49m0Y4nf3-2B7rXsv6EfWyn2Lp4YT8lwNZlKd-2BPUfN3leD6bsvf2IzrVDAtSTbnM-2B-2FJewXaC-2BRijeuabpfTtkLlPXtC-2Bda8IAhtFpMw8SU4Uw3OmmYmYDCjPgHYQksk6WahM-2F6Ot2eOC9d-2BVMYlyNESqXzxWXdrn8xkwhoQMF-2Fod-2FrxDeHikx8Bp6LYVSqFp81WzmCo2qWqs1DcoN9mVrgqv90JPh0eclsINKkikluSMCWrXM-2BhOLt273zK1Rtfm7QqkFeGGce2Gph44QuWxbMszzoN6xuAWL-2Fgy1TNPr4K4D1h4smh8Hp0rZs6bCsGBbnQdfegD1MQbN-2BY5wYXf5ZNuWHGdyw9chXBKjpd6LI6E49X98tRrOeUj231K91ZMm4dlNwSMBPRkTiiR-2FiGwiWBX0zCFTBKzWuR9rMXEVH9PAMdoPiwLnsUExAE0gBrr7Tu5RVfQG1wnmG-2Fklp3wg-2FadvkXxBxk9nwQZj6zjfL1WA-2FCRaq8HJmkiVKvqg-2FiV6cQC5AY9MFkPpi4tIuWYDWxmCqpqciY6vm7bwZSF0G1oudmJG-2BZr5c28Fm8tkPHGyK7j7oo8bbwc3V-2ByMTPlWTHZE-2Flvd5enm6DzlyTcZeaW-2B2-2BiH9RxJ4XqUbSwLUJxVbkq318nZCMRNHQVfedE2My-2FqPtgfCG-2ByNpiHJJfPdyZC46FWi8L-2Fy" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Globetrotter</em></a><em>.</em></p>
</div><p>
<em>Vijay Prashad’s most recent book (with Noam Chomsky) is
The Withdrawal: Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan and the Fragility of US
Power (New Press, August 2022).</em>
</p></div></div>
</div>
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