Trump Seeks Venezuelan Oil, Forgetting the 'Regime Change' Memos
Trump, according to The Independent, is reportedly consulting Harry Sargeant on bringing U.S. oil interests back into Venezuela. This is the same former President who, during his term, actively supported efforts to oust Nicolás Maduro, recognized Juan Guaidó as the interim president, and imposed crippling sanctions on Venezuela's oil sector, ostensibly to 'restore democracy.' One might recall the
fervent calls for 'regime change' and the demonization of Maduro's government as an authoritarian threat. Now, it appears, the democratic principles are suddenly negotiable if there's oil to be had. The inconvenient truth is that U.S. foreign policy toward resource-rich nations often resembles a revolving door of sanctimony and self-interest. The 'human rights concerns' and 'authoritarian threats'
magically disappear when the price of oil (or a former president's political ambitions) gets high enough. It's almost as if the moral high ground is just a convenient staging area for resource extraction. How many 'freedom-loving' dictatorships has the U.S. overlooked when they control a vital resource?