The sting in Guyana oil boom

A view of Georgetown, Guyana. Oil-rich Guyana is enjoying red-hot growth but the boom is magnifying tensions over corruption, inequality and strained ties with Venezuela. — Cesar Rodriguez/The New York Times

FERRARIS and Lamborghinis creep through traffic-choked streets. New steakhouses serve imported cuts of Wagyu beef. Music festivals fly DJs in from Miami and Jamaica. Opulent weddings are the talk of the town.

Such luxury trappings are popping up in Georgetown, Guyana’s capital. The city is far removed from the widening conflict in the Middle East, which has severely restricted energy flows, casting a pall over economies around the world.