US 'Democracy' to Venezuela: Your Oil, Not Your Choice
Energy Secretary Chris Wright's plans for 'exclusive access' to Venezuelan oil and minerals, as reported by Axios, paint a familiar picture. Wright hails deals that would 'finance the reconstruction' of an economy bombed by decades of U.S. sanctions and 'stunning Jan. 3 raid' removing Maduro. (Funny how the 'raids' happen right before the 'reconstruction' projects start, isn't it?) The U.S.
narrative—stopping 'drugs, kidnapping, gangs, and Hezbollahs'—serves as the convenient moral smokescreen, just as it did for regime change operations in Chile, Guatemala, and countless others. Axios even admits Trump's goal is 'de facto control' of oil, with 'democracy and elections' (remember those?) being 'an afterthought.' Now, the U.S. is backing Maduro's former VP and security chief. Because
nothing screams 'democracy' like backing the very officials you once condemned, provided, of course, they play ball with the resource deals.