US Sanctions Ensure Venezuela Suffers, Not Solves Energy Crisis
The mainstream narrative frames this maneuver as enforcing 'sanctions' against a 'shadow fleet'. But this isn't some new development. The US has imposed a crippling array of sanctions on Venezuela since the early 2000s, primarily targeting its oil sector, under both Republican and Democratic administrations. This economic warfare—often called 'maximum pressure'—drives the very need for these
'shadow fleets' as Venezuela attempts to sell its oil and fund basic services for its citizens in the face of deliberately induced poverty. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy of state failure, directly caused by those who then decry the 'failed state'. So, Washington announces a 'total blockade' (a literal act of war, mind you) and suddenly ships 'divert.' How convenient for the US narrative, which
consistently champions 'freedom' while simultaneously dictating who can trade with whom, under threat of force. One might wonder if the US would tolerate its own economy being choked off by another global power for ideological reasons.