The U.S. announced Friday it is turning its attention toward Guyana’s abundant bauxite and other resources for business opportunities as the Trump administration increasingly eyes Latin American energy and minerals. The move puts the machinery of U.S. power squarely on top of Guyana’s mineral wealth, with Under Secretary for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg holding talks this week with top Guyanese officials, including President Irfaan Ali, in the South American country experiencing an oil boom.
Who Has the Power
Guyana’s mass oil reserves discovered in the last decade have increased its geopolitical importance, which has been further amplified by a global energy crisis caused by the Iran war. Its bauxite reserves are critical for producing aluminum. In the language of states and corporations, that means another territory rich in extractable value has been marked for development, with the people living there left to absorb the consequences of decisions made far above them.
The Trump administration has more aggressively focused on Latin America’s resources, from pushing to expand oil production in Venezuela following the U.S. military invasion in January, to pursuing cooperation with Brazil over critical minerals. The pattern is plain enough: when the bosses and their governments smell scarcity, they move faster to secure supply chains and lock down access.
Benjamin Gedan, senior fellow and the director of the Stimson Center Latin America program, said, “In times of global energy scarcity, there’s a great deal more focus on Latin America as an alternative stable source of supply.” He added, “And Guyana is the leader of that story.”
Who Gets Crushed
The visit comes amid concerns in the U.S. government about the Chinese government and mega companies cashing in on multimillion dollar state contracts at the expense of U.S. companies. Guyanese officials have argued that U.S. firms have not been as aggressive as the Chinese, who often offer financing and cater to labor needs for mega projects. That is the real contest on display here: not a struggle over justice, but a fight among states and corporate blocs over who gets to dominate the contracts, the financing, and the labor arrangements.
Helberg told officials that bauxite reserves are already known so the U.S. will be interested in the sector. Currently, Chinese operator Bosai Minerals is the dominant player in the local bauxite sector. Helberg said, “Generally speaking, we both understand that Guyana is a country with a lot of natural resources.” He suggested that the U.S. can also assist Guyana in conducting high-tech surveys to determine what other minerals lie under the surface for development later on.
That “assistance” is framed as partnership, but the facts in the article show a familiar hierarchy: outside powers identify the resources, map the ground, and position themselves to profit from what lies beneath it.
What They Call Partnership
Jason Marczak, vice president and senior director for the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center at the Atlantic Council, said the U.S. is looking to learn from past mistakes of allowing China to gain a foothold in the region. While Guyana is likely trying to diversify its trade relationships, including with China, the visit shows that the country remains a strong U.S. partner in the region. Marczak said, “President Ali in particular is very close to the United States and in general recognizes the importance of the U.S. as a key partner for Guyana.” He added, “That’s reflected by Helberg’s visit to Guyana.”
Guyana’s Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud told The Associated Press on Friday that Guyana is interested in attracting U.S. investors to the mineral, oil and gas-rich country in the coming months. He said, “The U.S. is our strategic partner and we made that clear to them but we would want value added to bauxite and other products. We are interested in processing and with improvements in energy generation.”
The language of “strategic partner” and “value added” is the polished surface of the same old arrangement: powerful states and investors circling resources, while local officials try to extract better terms inside a system built around outside capital and control. The article does not describe any grassroots response, mutual aid effort, or community-led organizing around the resource push. What it does show is a familiar imperial choreography, with U.S. officials, Guyanese officials, and corporate interests negotiating over who gets access to the wealth under the ground and who gets to call that arrangement development.
Associated Press writer Anna-Catherine Brigida reported from Mexico City.