To invade the ground of Guyana, of a small country that is rich in oil fields, the president of Venezuela seeks Nicolas Maduro through a referendum. She asks her fellow citizens to come to the polls and give their approval.

Maduro has accused Guyana – along with the United States and international oil giants – of conspiring to rob Venezuela of its land through “legal colonialism”.

The new state envisioned by Maduro would be called “Guayana Esequiba” and occupies 3/4 of Guyana. Guyana points out that the 1899 agreement reached by international arbitrators that established the current borders between the two countries has legal force and binding force.

The foreign minister of Guyana – Latin America’s only English-speaking region – Hugh Hilton Todd has commented that neighboring Venezuela is “on the wrong side of history”, with international concern about a new hotbed of instability intensifying.

With Venezuela isolated, Guyana is looking to its allies in the Caribbean Community (Caricom) and the Commonwealth for support.

Ahead of a visit by US Defense Department officials this week, Guyana’s Vice President Bharat Jagdeo said the small country had begun to consider the need to host foreign military bases.

“Any of our international partners in the democratic free world will want to support Guyana’s cause because we have always followed the rules, procedures and principles. Venezuela does the opposite. They are on the wrong side of international law and they are on the wrong side of history. They don’t have friends and partners on the road they’re on,” Todd said.