Venezuela air attack

BlessedArt

ronib

There has not been a regime change in Venezuela. The ruling party continues under its new president. Bit pointless from one point of view…

Pointless call out, as Trump will not allow anyone there to be in charge if they oppose him like Maduro.

At this very moment in time groups of men on motorcycles are targeting Trump supporters .They are not allowing any dissent and the current leader still supports the return of Maduro. Meanwhile she has agreed to give him a large amount of oil .

I'm not sure Rodriguez has agreed to give Trump large amounts of oil yet. After being sworn in she has made some defiant statements against Trump. She is walking a tightrope as to some degree, as it could be said is Trump ( though he won't see it that way).

Venezuela's constitution requires an election within 30 days whenever a president becomes " permanently unavailable" to serve. Reasons listed include death, removal from office or "abandonment" of duties as declared by National Assembly. It remains to be seen whether an election takes place and if so the outcome.

Trump meanwhile needs to get US oil companies on side to invest in Venezuela to be able to drill oil down the line. Trump says he has spoken to those oil industry leaders- they have issued a statement wanting it to be known publicly that Trump has not spoken to them.

The US oil industries will not want to cover the costs of investment themselves in an unstable Venezuelan regime and will want guarantees from Trump. The US political regime can hardly be described as stable either, domestically or on the world stage. How will such guarantees go beyond Trump's term of office? US tax payers may not want to foot the oil companies' investment bill in Venezuela. The US oil companies thus will be VERY cautious. Trump is not a man of caution.

Can we be clear David, not a single Poster on this Thread has claimed that Meduro is a 'good guy'.
You are weakening any points you are trying to make, by using this conflation.

Grandmabatty

As I've stated before, it's entirely possible to hold two different views on a related subject. You can deplore the actions of the president of Venezuela and his cabal towards his people while still deploring the actions of another president in invading Venezuela to illegally taking that president into custody. I wholeheartedly agree with Madeleine.

So do I.

So you think Maduro is the good guy despite 8 million of his own people fleeing his persecution.

A straw man argument, Davi49.

Just listening to some comment. Apparently the agreement is that the Venezuelan military which is one of the most powerful bodies, will work with the USA. That then makes more sense when Trump says that the leader of the opposition does not have the support to be the next leader.

The military do not support the opposition.

Rodriguez is on board with this, but has yet to learn how to toe the line as far as Trump is concerned.

With regard to the oil.

The entire infrastructure in Venezuela is shot including the oil industry. It will take years to get it up to standard which is why Trump has been unable to name a single oil company willing to take it on.

The big oil companies will want to see political stability and long term assurance before they begin to invest billions into Venezuela.

I found a facebook comment made by Graham Jones, a former Labour MP who was, at one time, Chair of a Parliamentary Committee on Venezuela. He claims a great deal of expertise on the country.

He has this to say about its oil industry:

Another major factor is oil. Venezuelan crude is heavy, low-grade sludge requiring enormous investment to process. Up to the 1990s—and before Chavez—major foreign companies had the infrastructure, capital, resources, and skills to keep pumping stations and refineries operating.
During the Bolivarian revolution, when Hugo Chavez took power, he nationalised the industry, kicked the oil companies out, and took over their investment. That is the basis for Trump’s grievance.
More importantly, over the following 30 years the Venezuelan regime has been unable to manufacture parts or manage production well enough to sustain the industry. Output has plummeted to a fraction of what it was. State seizure has been a catastrophe.
Given Venezuela cannot currently support its own oil industry, it requires foreign expertise and investment. There is an argument for a proper framework to enable this. However, Trump’s “America First, no one else” posture is not exactly the sort of foreign investment approach that democratic countries can accept.
At the moment there is an oil embargo, so no one is benefiting from Venezuelan oil. Opening it up depends on where companies sell it and whether it returns to open markets.

Sorry, I don't know how to link to the specific post I'm quoting from. this is just a link to his facebook page. the post will be near the top.

www.facebook.com/GrahamJonesxMP

(he's no longer an MP. Lost his seat in 2019 and wasn't allowed to stand in 2024 because of his views on Palestine.)

As indicated the US oil companies are currently being cautious and waiting for assurances and guarantees from Trump.

Trump is full of bluster stating on social media Venezuela, without a plan or agreements in place "will be turning over" up to 50 million barrels of oil - worth about $2.8bn (£2.1bn) - to the US, adding he would control the money raised and use it to benefit the people of Venezuela and the US. He said the US oil industry would be "up and running" in Venezuela within 18 months and that he expected huge investments to pour into the country. However Trump has not yet met with the US oil industry.

Analysts have indicated however it could take tens of billions of dollars, and potentially a decade, to restore Venezuela's former output.

China, which has been the biggest buyer of Venezuelan oil in recent years, has also condemned Trump's announcement as well as the US's reported demands that Venezuela gives its oil exclusively to them. We have yet to see how the dynamic between Trump and China will play out.

ABC News has reported, that Trump had told Rodríguez to agree to an exclusive partnership with the US on oil production, and sever economic ties with China, Russia, Iran and Cuba. No such agreement is yet in place. Further there may yet be an election in Venezuela.

ConocoPhillips, a major US oil company that no longer has a presence in Venezuela, "is monitoring developments in Venezuela and their potential implications for global energy supply and stability", said spokesman Dennis Nuss. "It would be premature to speculate on any future business activities or investments".

Today a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that the US's "blatant military action against Venezuela, and its demand that Venezuela prioritise the US in disposing of its oil resources, is a typical act of bullying, a serious violation of international law, a severe infringement upon Venezuela's sovereignty, and a grave damage to the rights of the Venezuelan people. I want to emphasise that the legitimate rights and interests of China and other countries in Venezuela must be protected... cooperation between China and Venezuela is the cooperation between two sovereign states, which is under protection of international law and the domestic laws of the two countries."

The situation in Venezuela is chaotic and unstable.

I’m sure China will be able to buy Venezuelan oil at the world price, not the cheap price that they have been paying. The US is going to invest the money to rebuild the infrastructure. I have no sympathy for China grumbling about Venezuela, they are the country that us supporting Putin, buying 45% of their oil from Russia at a big discount.

David49 "The US is going to invest the money to rebuild the infrastructure. I have no sympathy for China grumbling about Venezuela...."

No one has mentioned sympathy for China to date.

We've yet to see whether Trump is able to put a realistic, achievable plan in place to achieve his aims.

We've yet to see whether the US is going to invest the necessary amount to rebuild Venezuela's oil infrastructure.

We've yet to see how the dynamic will play out between China, Russia, Iran and Cuba with regards to Trump achieving his aims.

I haven't checked through the thread, but has this been mentioned before?

The US sees Venezuela as threatening the dominance of the petro dollar.

This an extract from a long article

To understand what’s at stake, we need to grasp what former French Finance Minister Valéry Giscard d’Estaing famously called America’s “exorbitant privilege.”[^1] Since the 1944 Bretton Woods agreement, and especially after the 1973 arrangement with Saudi Arabia that created the “petrodollar,” the US dollar has functioned as the world’s primary reserve currency. This status grants the United States an almost supernatural economic power.

When you need dollars to buy oil, settle international debts, or participate in global trade, you create automatic demand for American currency. This demand allows the US government to borrow at lower interest rates than any other nation, effectively financing its deficits by printing money that the world is compelled to use. It’s the economic equivalent of owning the toll booth on every major highway in the global economy. The Congressional Research Service estimates this privilege saves the US government between $100-250 billion annually in borrowing costs.

More importantly, dollar dominance became America’s most powerful geopolitical weapon. Control the dollar system, and you control access to the global economy. Step out of line, and the United States can cut you off from SWIFT (the international banking communication network), freeze your reserves held in dollars, or impose sanctions that amount to economic excommunication. When Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, the US demonstrated this power decisively, and for years, it seemed unassailable.

It goes on to explain the challenge from other countries buying oil in different currencies, notably the Chinese yuan. It's too long to quote more.

Well worth reading.

Article here:

kasperbenjamin.substack.com/p/the-real-reason-why-the-us-overthrew

Thank you MaizieD very interesting. If the US dollar is in jeopardy from new currencies then it makes the attack on Venezuela and possibly others using different currency much more understandable.
The reasons given by the US were fake.

Yes I mentioned it MaizieD foxie48 Tue 06-Jan-26 16:59:05

I think there's a lot driving this for Trump but I very much doubt he's going to get the result that he wants. The Colectivos are out on the streets making sure there's no visable support for the US and tbh I can't see how the US can control what's happening in Venezuela unless they put boots on the ground and I don't think they'll do that. It's an unholy mess in the making.

Rodriguez is the immediate linchpin and as Trump has said if she/Venezuela doesn't behave he will do a second strike.

According to Politico the Trump administration has put Delcy Rodriguez/Venzuela under pressure with the following demands:

1) cracking down on drug flows
2) kick out Iranian, Cuban and other operatives of countries or networks hostile to Washington
3) stop the sale of oil to US adversaries.

Foxie48 " It's an unholy mess in the making." 👍

foxie48

Yes I mentioned it MaizieD foxie48 Tue 06-Jan-26 16:59:05

I think there's a lot driving this for Trump but I very much doubt he's going to get the result that he wants. The Colectivos are out on the streets making sure there's no visable support for the US and tbh I can't see how the US can control what's happening in Venezuela unless they put boots on the ground and I don't think they'll do that. It's an unholy mess in the making.

Sorry, my memory is very bad☹️

The article does make it very clear.

It's a much clearer explanation than I could manage tbh I think Trump is doing a great deal that is undermining the perceived stability of the dollar which is really bad news for the US. Their level of debt is manageable as long as the US is seen as financially stable. You might find the attached interesting Maizie
www.pgpf.org/article/the-federal-government-has-borrowed-trillions-but-who-owns-all-that-debt/

@Syracute

Trump went there for the oil. He removed Maduro for the oil. He is now getting the oil. So I say again, pointless call out. If he were refused his oil demand, your point would be more relevant. He has no opposition to his will there so the political party “in power” with Maduro gone is irrelevant.

Also, keep in mind that for everything you see on Venezuelans being harassed for supporting Trump’s illegal actions, there are plenty images/propaganda showing people openly cheering minus the “men on motorcycles”. You would see the same in the US if Trump was locked up. There will be supporters and opposition everywhere there is a polarizing figure. Doesn’t justify Trump’s greedy, murderous, resource grabbing, violation of a sovereign nation.

LemonJam

David49 "The US is going to invest the money to rebuild the infrastructure. I have no sympathy for China grumbling about Venezuela...."

No one has mentioned sympathy for China to date.

We've yet to see whether Trump is able to put a realistic, achievable plan in place to achieve his aims.

We've yet to see whether the US is going to invest the necessary amount to rebuild Venezuela's oil infrastructure.

We've yet to see how the dynamic will play out between China, Russia, Iran and Cuba with regards to Trump achieving his aims.

Early days, if Venezuela becomes stable and cooperative sanctions will be lifted and investment will be possible, it’s up to them.
China, Russia, Iran and Cuba will complain and do nothing, Cuba has long been a thorn in the US side, but many Cubans have migrated to US

Rubio saying that the USA has full control over Venezuela's oil

That is piracy imo.

@David,
Trump, the convicted felon whose administration has actively targeted the rights of women and minorities, is as bad as Maduro. I gave birth to children in the US. One is still there raising two of my grandchildren. They are biracial and my family’s fears for them are real. My son’s wife’s family has been there for generations. Do not dismiss their fears by reducing the challenges for non-white non-males to a matter of packing up and fleeing. Your downplaying of what is happening there is so privileged it’s shameful.

Don't know if this has been hinted at already, but Rubio's own elders had form in the Cuban drug scene.
Source unverifiable as yet, on Facebook. But sometimes the truth bubbles up from there, and GNs are great at filtering, which is why I am bothering to post.

To be honest I have never heard anything as privileged as comparing the situation in Venezuela with America. Non males made me smile though.

I'm really concerned about what is happening in the US and if I had family living there, especially if they were female and non white. I'd be very worried. Of course, for most people in the US life has been little affected by Trump so far, especially if they are white middle class with disposable income so it's not like Venezuela where ordinary people are hugely affected by the actions of the government they have had for years. However, tyranny always starts small and whereas the tyranny of the government in Venezuela tends to stay in Venezuela, the tyranny of a US President affects the whole world (eventually). We should all be very concerned, privileged or not!