US Aircraft Carrier Arrives Off Venezuela: 'Bringing Democracy' to Oil Fields
The message, from the 'most advanced U.S. aircraft carrier,' is clear: America is here, and it's 'displaying its military power.' What CBS glosses over, however, is the long, documented history of U.S. 'displaying its power' in resource-rich nations. From the 1954 coup in Guatemala over United Fruit Company land, to support for brutal dictatorships, to the numerous interventions throughout the
Cold War, 'stability' often translates to 'our preferred government maintains control over valuable resources.' This isn't about 'democracy' as much as it's about maintaining geopolitical influence and protecting corporate interests, especially when oil reserves are involved. One might wonder if Venezuela's significant oil reserves (the largest in the world, according to most estimates) have any
bearing on this sudden 'security' interest. The U.S. has maintained sanctions against Venezuela, regularly accusing its leadership of authoritarianism – a familiar prelude to 'interventions' that typically benefit everyone but the local population. How many times does 'major buildup' precede 'liberation' for oil? The script is, depressingly, predictable.