US Blockade Halts Venezuelan Oil, Bloomberg Laments 'Impact'
Bloomberg's headline, 'Venezuela Starts Shutting Oil Wells as US Blockade Halts Flows,' reports on Caracas's decision to curb oil production in the face of what they call a 'blockade by the Trump administration meant to financially squeeze the nation.' (Bloomberg.com) This framing is a masterclass in passive voice and selective memory, as if the US policy wasn't the active hand turning off the
spigot, but an act of nature. What Bloomberg omits is that these 'blockades' – whether called sanctions, embargos, or financial restrictions – are a historical pattern of US foreign policy, weaponizing economic power against nations that dare to pursue independent paths, from Cuba to Iran. These are not mere 'squeezes'; they are deliberate acts of economic warfare designed to cripple a nation's
ability to trade and provide for its citizens. The 'impact' isn't accidental, it's the intended consequence of a policy aimed at regime change, often leading to humanitarian crises for which the US then offers 'aid' – or blames the targeted regime. One might wonder if the financial press ever considers the cost in human lives for these 'financial squeezes.' (Spoiler: they usually don't, unless oil
prices go up.)