US 'Democracy' Exported to Venezuela, With Chinese Characteristics
Bloomberg's enthusiastic headline, “Trump Opens New Front Against China With Brazen Arrest of Maduro,” heralds the supposed triumph of US foreign policy in Venezuela. What the financial news giant fails to contextualize is the US's long, storied history of installing and ousting leaders in resource-rich nations (like say, all of Latin America). Remember the 1973 Chilean coup, or the endless
interventions in Central America? This isn't a new strategy; it’s merely a rebranded classic, now with a convenient 'China threat' wrapper. The narrative conveniently ignores the US playbook: economic sanctions crippling a nation, then celebrating regime change as 'democracy promotion' when the population rebels against engineered hardship. This isn't about 'opening new flashpoints'; it's about
maintaining old ones, ensuring strategic resources (like Venezuela's massive oil reserves – US Energy Information Administration data confirms Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves outside of Saudi Arabia) remain accessible to Western interests, regardless of Venezuela's sovereign choices or its existing trade relationships.