Last Friday, the Guyanese government fell after a no-confidence vote, a move that likely was viewed as an opportune moment of weakness in Caracas. A day later, Venezuela’s navy approached two Norwegian vessels conducing seismic work in Guyanese waters on December 22, forcing the ships to flee to safer waters. The ships, under contract by ExxonMobil, are surveying the area and working to develop massive oil discoveries that could transform Guyana. Venezuela says the activity is illegal because it is in disputed territory, but Guyana, and much of the world, views the harassment by Venezuelan ships as illegitimate. “Guyana rejects this illegal, aggressive and hostile act,” Guyana’s foreign ministry said in a statement. Venezuela’s incursion “demonstrates the real threat to Guyana’s economic development by its western neighbor” and “violates the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country,” the ministry said. The U.S. State Department said the Venezuelan navy had […]