
A US military officer poses with a Guyanese counterpart in closing ceremony of the US-led New Horizons training exercise in Guyana on August 22, 2019.
A US military contingent has been deployed to the impoverished South American nation of Guyana for the first time in a decade in a bid to beef up its regional influence as it seeks to press for a military intervention in neighboring Venezuela and undermine growing Chinese and Russian presence in the region.
The four-month long program -- led by the US Air Force and dubbed New Horizons humanitarian outreach - is intended to serve as "a stepping-stone toward a prolonged relationship" with the Guyana military forces, US-based Military.com news outlet reported Saturday, adding that Air Force officials hope American ties with the Guyanese military will remain strong amid the growing influence of Russia and China in the southern hemisphere as well as the persisting crisis in Venezuela.
"Guyana is going to become a larger player in this region, both economically and politically in the future, so it's important that we are closely tied with them," said 12th Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Andrew Croft in an interview.














Comment: RT highlights the renewed US push for a world-wide presence:
And yet the Us may have a particular interest in Guyana besides it being right next to Venezuela. Guyana has been in a low-key, but centuries-long dispute with Venezuela over an area rich in mineral wealth. So rich that Juan Guaido was caught offering it as a bargaining chip to gain US support for his failed coup. Is Guyana more amenable to being looted by Western interests than Venezuela?
Venezuela prosecutors open probe into opposition leader Juan Guaido for 'high treason'