When Blackwater Mercenaries Seized an Oil Tanker: Unpacking Trump's 'Help'
Newsweek trumpeted Donald Trump's boast of an oil tanker seizure, implying 'help from Venezuela' in recovering a vessel tied to a private military security company. Left unsaid (or perhaps unexamined) is the elephant in the newsroom – Erik Prince, founder of Blackwater, and his firm Frontier Services Group (FSG) were deeply intertwined with these very tankers during the period. Prince, a known
Trump ally, was actively pursuing lucrative (and often morally ambiguous) deals across the globe, including in Venezuela, precisely when this incident occurred. Newsweek's framing subtly launders the narrative, making it sound like a cooperative international effort rather than the complex, shadow-world operations of private security forces operating with dubious legal authority. So, when Newsweek
suggests 'Venezuela helped' Trump seize a tanker, one might wonder if that 'help' involved turning a blind eye to US-aligned private actors or simply getting strong-armed. The story conveniently omits the well-documented history of US sanctions and attempts to destabilize the Venezuelan government, making any 'cooperation' deeply suspect. It's truly remarkable how easily a US-backed private
military operation can be repackaged as a diplomatic success for public consumption. (Perhaps the next 'Venezuelan help' will involve them endorsing next year's defense budget?)