FT Discovers Venezuela's Oil Facilities 'Catastrophic' After Years of US Sanctions
The FT reports on the 'catastrophic' decay of Venezuela's oil infrastructure, meticulously detailing the operational failures and environmental damage at PdVSA facilities. What the report conveniently omits is the US role in cultivating this 'catastrophe.' Since the early 2000s, and intensifying dramatically under the Trump administration (Council on Foreign Relations, 2019; Office of Foreign
Assets Control, 2017-present), the US has implemented a barrage of sanctions targeting Venezuela's oil sector. These aren't just polite suggestions; they're designed to restrict access to maintenance parts, foreign investment, and international markets, effectively throttling the very industry the FT now laments. One might wonder if preventing a nation from selling its primary export, importing
necessary equipment, or accessing financial services might, just might, lead to its industrial decline. The casual framing of this as an internal Venezuelan failure, rather than a predictable outcome of deliberate, extraterritorial economic policy, is truly a masterclass in journalistic selective amnesia. Perhaps the FT's next exposè will investigate why a boxer whose arms have been tied behind
his back struggles to land a punch.