The Surinam Intervention

While tempers rose, and plans were made by many nations for some sort of intervention in Suriname, the local leaders in that nation, mostly rival gangsters and warlords, rapidly came to the obvious conclusion: the world has declared that any place without a unfied, recognized government was fair game for invasion. The way out seemed natural: get a leader, and the world's powers lose their crusading cause. Unfortunately, about a half dozen rival Surinamese warlords came to this conclusion simultaneously, and the disagreed over the leader selection protocols. Arguments quickly devolved from undiplomatic words to rockets shot at apartments.

Almost before the leaders of the world finished their briefing on the situation, however, came word that the Brazilians had, in one morning's effort, ended the problem- at least, according to the Brazilians. Surinam was quickly and easily by Brazilian troops, led by special forces, operating from jungle locations across the Brazilian border. With the Brazilian fleet and marines only 8 hours away, and airmobile troops and aircraft hours away, it was basically over before the observation-decision making loops elsewhere were able to take it all in and say "huh?"

Suriname is a small nation, and Brazil has all but flooded it with troops. Fighters loyal to local leaders opposed to Brazil are outnumbered at least 10:1 by Brazilian troops. Some locals are supporting the Brazilians.

After completing their lightening takeover of Surinam, the Brazilians turned it over to Venezuelan administration. Brazilian troops have retreated to cantonments in and around Surinam and are doing nothing else but providing security. Venezuelan officials are calling the shots.

Surinam is a very small nation, only about half a million people. The Brazilians have more trouble subduing the bad areas of their own major cities (any one of which has far more people than Surinam), especially after a Brazilian team loses a game to foreigners. There is simply no way, given the gross disparity in forces, for any Surinamese to be more than a minor nuisance to Brazil. Unless of course they get WMD.