US Sanctions Venezuela, Then Seizes Its Oil at Sea: 'Free Trade' for Thee, Not Me
📰 THE STORY: AP News reports that U.S. forces boarded and took control of a seventh oil tanker, the Motor Vessel Sagitta, allegedly linked to Venezuela and operating in defiance of U.S. sanctions, with the U.S. Southern Command stating its resolve to ensure 'only oil that is coordinated properly and lawfully' leaves Venezuela. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: This seizure
isn't an isolated incident but part of a long-standing U.S. playbook to destabilize governments that challenge its hegemony. In 2002, the U.S. openly supported a failed coup attempt against Venezuela's democratically elected President Hugo Chávez. The subsequent sanctions, intensified under Trump and continued under Biden, have strangled Venezuela's economy, leading to a 75% contraction of its GDP
from 2014 to 2020, and causing immense suffering among ordinary Venezuelans, including widespread food and medicine shortages, as documented by the UN and CEPR. This isn't about 'properly coordinated' oil; it's about controlling who benefits from Venezuela's vast reserves. Double Standard: Imagine for a moment if Iran or China seized a U.S.-flagged tanker for trading with a nation under *their*
unilateral sanctions. The outcry from Washington and Western media would be deafening, framed as an act of piracy and aggression. Yet, when the U.S. military forcibly intercepts vessels in international waters based on its own domestic sanctions apparatus, it’s presented as a routine enforcement action. The 'rules-based international order' only seems to apply when it benefits Washington's