US Seizes Tanker: Because Venezuela Has Too Much Democracy
The U.S. military 'pacifically' boarding a tanker near Venezuela to 'uphold sanctions' (Al Jazeera, Dec 21, 2025) is a tale as old as oil itself. This isn't about rogue maritime practices; it’s about control. Since Hugo Chávez nationalized oil assets, Washington has consistently sought to destabilize Venezuela, leveraging sanctions that disproportionately harm civilians, and backing opposition
figures (remember Juan Guaidó? Neither does anyone else). One might wonder if the 'rules-based international order' only applies when it benefits Uncle Sam's geopolitical agenda. When did unilaterally seizing another nation's resources become a legitimate enforcement tool, instead of an act of piracy? The hypocrisy shines brightest when similar actions, say, by Iran in the Gulf, are immediately
branded as aggression. Convenient, isn't it, how 'stability' and 'democracy' are always found wherever there’s crude?