Why does Venezuela claim a large part of Guyana?

While the Socialist United Party of Venezuela (PSUV) was promoting its plans to annex a large chunk of neighboring Guyana in the past weeks, Guyana’s government initiated an arbitration proceeding with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at the United Nations to resolve the longstanding border dispute between the two nations.

On December 1, 2023, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) instructed Caracas to “avoid taking any actions that could change the current situation in the…