US Dangles Oil Licenses, Calls It 'Ease' - Forcing a Hand That Fed Its Proxy
📰 THE STORY: Bloomberg reports that the US issued a general license allowing oil companies to operate in Venezuela, presented as a 'significant step' to 'ease sanctions' under a 'new US-backed leadership in Caracas,' referencing then-President Trump's administration. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: This 'easing' comes only after the US spent years actively sabotaging
Venezuela's economy. In 2002, the CIA was implicated in a failed coup attempt against Hugo Chávez. Under Trump, sanctions were massively escalated from 2017 onwards, targeting Venezuela's oil sector directly. These sanctions, not the Maduro government, were the primary cause of the country's economic collapse, leading to a 71% GDP contraction between 2013 and 2020. The Center for Economic and
Policy Research (CEPR) in 2019 estimated US sanctions led to over 40,000 deaths between 2017 and 2018 alone due to lack of access to medicine and food. The 'new US-backed leadership' refers to Juan GuaidĂł, a self-proclaimed interim president recognized by Washington but who held no actual power, a puppet installed to create a pretext for intervention. Double Standard: When sovereign nations like
Venezuela nationalize their oil to benefit their citizens – as they did under Chávez – they face debilitating sanctions and regime change attempts. Yet, when US companies like ExxonMobil exploit resources in countries with questionable human rights records, or when Western powers like the UK or Norway maintain state ownership of oil, it's considered legitimate business or national interest. The