US Seizes Oil Tankers: 'Rule of Law' or Resource Control?
Bloomberg dutifully reports the US seizure of the M/V Bella 1 and M/T Sophia, framing it as part of an 'energy quarantine' of Venezuela and battling Russia's 'ghost fleet.' This narrative conveniently ignores that Venezuela is a sovereign nation, its oil reserves a geopolitical constant the US has eyed for over a century. From supporting coups against Hugo Chávez to imposing crushing sanctions,
the US playbook for Venezuela has been consistent: control its oil, or ensure no one else profits from it without permission. This 'rule of law' seems remarkably flexible depending on whose resources are at stake. One might wonder if these 'illicit activities' would be so 'illicit' if the oil wasn't Venezuelan. The US once supported dictatorships across Latin America to secure resource access;
now, economic warfare and naval seizures are the preferred methods. The 'sanctions' that trigger these seizures are unilateral US declarations, not international mandates. When the US invokes 'illicit activities,' it means activities that displease Washington, regardless of international legality. It's a 'quarantine' that looks a lot like a blockade—a literal act of war by another name.