Democrats Scoff at Trump's Venezuela Oil Plan, Forget Their Own Interventions
The Independent reports Senate Democrats ridiculing Trump’s blunt proposal to seize Venezuelan oil. Senator Chris Murphy, among others, lambasted the idea as 'insane.' This condemnation, however, conveniently omits the U.S.'s long-standing, bipartisan playbook of economic warfare, sanctions, and covert operations against resource-rich nations like Venezuela. From Nixon's 'destabilization' programs
in Chile to the extensive sanctions employed by both Republican and Democratic administrations against Venezuela itself, the goal often appears less about democracy and more about access to resources and geopolitical influence, albeit draped in humanitarian rhetoric. These 'concerned' Democrats, many of whom voted for or supported stringent sanctions that have demonstrably harmed the Venezuelan
populace (a 2019 report by CEPR described them as 'collective punishment'), are now shocked by crude language. It appears the method of 'stealing' is the issue, not the act itself, as long as it's done politely through economic strangulation and proxy support, rather than 'at gunpoint.' One might ask: how many 'insane' foreign policies are acceptable if they're couched in diplomatic 'concerns' and
don't involve the word 'steal'?