Sanctions: Why US Governments Keep Enriching Dictators
Deutsche Welle reports a 'windfall' for Donald Trump from Venezuelan oil assets, framing it as a peculiar anomaly. The article details how CITGO's parent, PDV Holding, was targeted by creditors, leading to court-ordered sales that could net up to $3 billion for creditors of Venezuela's government. Yet, DW conveniently forgets the context: these 'windfalls' are direct consequences of US sanctions
that crippled Venezuela's economy, leading to default and creating the very scenario where its assets are picked apart. The US imposed extensive sanctions on Venezuela starting in 2017 under Trump and broadened under Biden, blocking Caracas from accessing global financial markets and its own oil revenues. (Source: Council on Foreign Relations, 'US Sanctions on Venezuela', updated March 2024). This
isn't a 'windfall' for Trump, it's the inevitable fire sale of a nation’s assets, engineered by US policy, now parceled out to American corporations and hedge funds. How many times must we watch this play out before recognizing sanctions as a transfer of wealth, not a tool for democracy?