US Military 'Seizes' Venezuelan Oil, 'Without Incident' - The Empire Strikes Back
📰 THE STORY: Reuters, via The Independent, reports that the US military's Southern Command apprehended a seventh oil tanker linked to Venezuela, allegedly part of a network attempting to evade sanctions. The vessel was seized 'without incident' in the Caribbean, with US officials characterizing it as an action to disrupt illicit finance benefiting the Maduro government. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT
TELLING YOU: Historical Context: This 'seizure' is not an isolated incident but a continuation of relentless US economic warfare against Venezuela, initiated in earnest even before Nicolás Maduro. In 2017, the Trump administration imposed crushing financial sanctions. In 2019, it escalated to an oil embargo and froze billions in Venezuelan assets. This mirrors the 2002 US-backed coup attempt
against Hugo Chavez, which failed, demonstrating a consistent, two-decade pattern of undermining Venezuelan sovereignty. Double Standard: Imagine any other nation's military seizing an oil tanker belonging to, say, Saudi Arabia or Qatar – key US allies – for an alleged 'sanctions evasion.' It would be rightly decried as an act of piracy and international aggression. When the US does it to
Venezuela, a nation it has openly tried to destabilize and whose 'interim president' it still recognizes (Juan GuaidĂł, despite his irrelevance), it's framed as 'law enforcement' or disrupting 'illicit finance.' This is a blatant assertion of unilateral power, specifically targeting a sovereign nation that refuses to bend to Washington's will. Follow the Money: The financial impact is clear: