The Venezuela Playbook: Oil, 'Democracy,' and Offshore Rackets
What's actually happening: The Hill's opinion piece advocates for closing offshore tax loopholes, specifically referencing the need to prevent illicit financing that 'bolsters authoritarian regimes' like Venezuela. This narrative conveniently sidesteps the documented history of how Western powers, particularly the US, have leveraged and even orchestrated financial pressure, including the
weaponization of sanctions and frozen assets, against governments that challenge their economic and geopolitical interests. FIRST INSTANCE: The 1953 CIA Coup in Iran. The playbook for regime change, often disguised as promoting 'democracy' or combating 'corruption,' is decades old. In 1953, the US and UK orchestrated a coup against Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh
after he nationalized the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. Financial leverage and covert operations were central to this overthrow, ensuring Western control over oil resources. (CIA, declassified 2013) REPETITIONS: The 2002 attempted coup in Venezuela. Fast forward to 2002, the US backed a failed coup attempt against Hugo Chávez, a leader who sought to assert national control over Venezuela's vast oil
reserves. This was followed by years of escalating financial pressures and sanctions, directly impacting the Venezuelan economy and creating conditions for internal unrest, all while framing the government as 'authoritarian' and 'corrupt.' Records show the US government provided funding to groups involved in the coup. (Council on Foreign Relations, 2002) REPETITIONS: Libya in 2011. The