US Seizes Venezuelan Oil, Calls It 'Economic Stability'
Today's Bloomberg Businessweek Daily, with Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec, heralds the White House and Energy Secretary Chris Wright's declaration: the US will now 'control' Venezuela's oil exports. This isn't post-WWII reconstruction; it’s a familiar script. Back in 2002, the Bush administration openly backed a coup against democratically elected Hugo Chávez, precisely because he threatened US oil
dominance and began nationalizing resources. Decades of US sanctions, interference, and now, direct management. How many times have we seen this movie? From Iran in '53 to Chile in '73, 'stability' has always been a euphemism for controlling another nation's wealth for American corporate gain. We’re told this is about 'global energy security.' One might wonder how 'securing' another nation's
primary economic asset by force, after years of sanctions designed to collapse its economy, can be anything but blatant economic subjugation. Apparently, self-determination is a luxury only afforded to nations without valuable natural resources. And democracy? That's just a quaint notion until it elects the 'wrong' leader. How many more 'interventions' until we admit this is just old-fashioned
colonialism with a new PR team?