US 'Seizes' Venezuelan Oil, Calls It 'Counter-Narcotics' - A Familiar Plunder
📰 THE STORY: Newsweek reports on video footage showing US forces seizing a seventh oil tanker allegedly linked to Venezuela in the Caribbean Sea, under the guise of an anti-narcotics operation. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: In 2002, the US-backed a failed coup attempt against Venezuela's democratically elected President Hugo Chávez. The current strategy of strangling
Venezuela's oil industry via sanctions and seizures is a direct continuation of decades-long efforts to undermine its sovereignty and control its vast petroleum reserves, the largest proven in the world. Double Standard: While the US frames these seizures as legitimate enforcement actions against 'narcotics,' it maintains close ties and provides military aid to states like Colombia, a primary
source of cocaine production, while its own financial institutions are routinely implicated in laundering drug money, often with little to no consequence. The 'rules-based order' applies selectively. Follow the Money: The explicit goal of US sanctions, particularly those imposed by the Trump administration in 2019, was to prevent Venezuela's state oil company, PDVSA, from trading internationally,
essentially weaponizing the financial system. These seizures directly benefit US strategic interests by cutting off revenue to the Maduro government and potentially allowing US-aligned entities to control or profit from the confiscated oil and shipping assets. 💡 THE PATTERN: This is a classic imperial playbook maneuver: using 'anti-narcotics' or 'anti-terrorism' pretexts to justify military or