Will Venezuela Invade Guyana? The Essequibo Dispute, Oil, and Madura's Saber Rattling with Mariano de Alba, The Crisis Group

We're releasing this episode a few days early, given the fast moving nature  of the dispute between Venezuela and Guyana.

This week, A'ndre chatted with The Crisis Group's Mariano de Alba on the recent tensions between Venezuela and Guyana over the resource-rich Essequibo region. Mariano, a Venezuela expert, discusses whether the concerns over a potential Venezuelan invasion of Guyana are real, and provides a history of the long-running dispute between the two countries over Essequibo -- a region that makes up more than 2/3's of Guyana's territory. The recent discovery of oil in 2015 reignited tensions over the territory, and Mariano provides his take on whether the conflict is truly about oil, or whether it's more about Maduro's election-related fears for 2024. Mariano also discusses the legitimacy of Venezuela's recent referendum to annex Essequibo, and what international involvement could look like in the event of an actual invasion.