US 'Captures' Venezuelan President, Unlocks Oil
The price of oil dipped slightly this week, The Guardian informs us, as markets cheered the 'impact of the US capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.' Donald Trump, ever the humanitarian, pledges to 'unlock Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.' Apparently, a former Chevron executive is already lining up $2 billion in investments. It seems the invisible hand of the market often comes with a
highly visible military escort when there's oil involved. Remember, this isn't intervention; it's market correction. One might wonder about the timing and method of 'unlocking' another nation's resources. Has the US truly discovered a new method of democratic liberation, or is this just the latest iteration of a century-old playbook where national sovereignty plays second fiddle to energy futures?
Venezuelan oil, once locked behind trivial things like sovereign leadership, is now free – free for the global market, at least. The cost of oil may drop, but the price of intervention often isn't paid in dollars, especially not by those who profit.