US Seizes Tanker, Calls It 'Rule of Law,' Venezuela Calls It 'Piracy'
The Independent, like many outlets, reported Venezuela's outrage over the Trump administration's seizure of an oil tanker, citing "international piracy." The US, of course, framed this as a blow against illegal Iranian oil shipments and a triumph of the "rule of law." Missing from much of this reporting? The decades-long history of US intervention in resource-rich nations, including Venezuela.
From orchestrating coups (1950s Guatemala, 1973 Chile) to crippling sanctions, the US has consistently acted to control global oil flows—often just as Venezuelan officials alleged, targeting their oil. This particular 'act of piracy' was simply an extension of the same pattern, now wrapped in the flag of sanctions. One might wonder: how many times can "rule of law" be invoked while simultaneously
undermining international legal norms, especially when the target happens to possess the largest proven oil reserves on the planet? (A fact often omitted when discussing US policy towards Venezuela.) The US has a long tradition of defining 'piracy' as 'anyone but us,' especially when there's crude involved. It's almost as if some nations' sovereignty is more negotiable when their natural resources
are deemed strategic for Washington.