Sanctions-Busting Oil Tanker is a Scapegoat, Not the Story
The New York Times reports on a seized oil tanker, painting a dramatic picture of 'dark fleet smuggling' from Venezuela, conveniently overlooking the U.S. sanctions regime that fuels this very 'black market.' One might wonder if their indignation is reserved for the symptoms, never the policy. For instance, Venezuela's oil is 'illicit' only under Washington’s unilateral blockades, measures whose
effectiveness in promoting democracy remains demonstrably nil but whose humanitarian impact is devastating. This 'seized tanker' story shifts focus from the actual architects of economic chokeholds to the desperate players caught in the crossfire. It's a classic media maneuver: identify a problem that is, in fact, a direct consequence of a U.S. foreign policy, then portray the consequences as an
independent evil requiring further intervention. How many times must 'sanctions' fail to achieve stated goals before the press asks if the declared intent matches the actual outcome?