Do you know why the US is involved now? — frank

Trump wants more oil.

Trump wants more oil. — Metaphysician Undercover

I doubt it.

You don't recognize how Trump is obsessed with oil? "Drill, baby, drill." And, "We will export American energy all over the world." In Trump's mind, oil and power are equivalent. That's why he's mad at Europeans who buy Russian oil.

You don't recognize how Trump is obsessed with oil? "Drill, baby, drill." And, "We will export American energy all over the world." In Trump's mind, oil and power are equivalent. That's why he's mad at Europeans who buy Russian oil. — Metaphysician Undercover

Yea, but if he wanted oil from Venezuela, Trump would just publicly put a gun to Maduro's head and say "Give me a bunch of oil."

I think it's actually about drugs, and I suspect the agenda is coming from Vance. Time will tell which of us is right.

Two men, two goals, same means, kill two birds with one stone.

I do not think that, for whatever it's worth

I do not think that, for whatever it's worth — AmadeusD

It's happened though. What they used to do was loan money to developing nations and when they couldn't pay it back, the US would go in and re-organize their economies. The result was increased economic stratification. It was basically neoliberalism. What's odd is that the US backed Chavez and he was a socialist. The US claimed it was opposed to unconstitutional transitions of power, but that is utter BS. Chavez must have been easier to deal with than his opponent.

the US backed Chavez — frank

.........................................what....................................

They decidedly did not back Chavez at any time that I am even vaguely aware of, including his initial campaign, and supporting his ousting in 2002, becoming more hostile on his return two days later.

But the US warned Chavez about the 2002 coup. Isn't that support?

This is a bit confusing and I would agree with @AmadeusD that this isn't support, actually.

It's basically window dressing and an attempt to avoid criticism from other Latin American countries that the Bush administration got for recognizing the Carmona government when ultimately the coup attempt failed (as the Presidential Guard then saved Chavez and he regained power).

A failed coup attempt with angry Latin American countries isn't something the US wants to be attached to anyway. But this I wouldn't call support of the Chavez regime.

The Chavez/Maduro regime has been on the naughty list for a long while and Chavez himself accused, naturally (what else would a genuine populist do), many times of the US being behind every opposition action against his regime there has been in Venezuela.

I guess you're right.

I think it's actually about drugs... — frank

Check this:
President Donald Trump said Friday that he will be pardoning former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who in 2024 was convicted for drug trafficking and weapons charges and sentenced to 45 years in prison.

Trump says that Venezuelan aerospace is closed and now hinting on attacks on mainland Venezuela.

The ordinary issue would be now to attack Venezuelan air defenses and command centers. That would be the "conventional" way to attack a country (like in case of Libya/Serbia/Iraq/ran etc.

Now if it's really some drug labs ...some huts in middle of the jungle, then it's really peculiar, a real world "Clear and present"-movie. However, announcing the closure of Venezuelan aerospace hints that the US is anticipating going head to head against the Venezuelan air defenses.

Perhaps the Colombian president says what's the reality:

(CNN) Colombian President Gustavo Petro said in a new interview that oil is at the center of the Trump administration’s pressure campaign in Venezuela instead of the fight against narcotics.

“[Oil] is at the heart of the matter,” Petro told CNN in the interview, published Wednesday.

“So, that’s a negotiation about oil. I believe that is [President] Trump’s logic. He’s not thinking about the democratization of Venezuela, let alone the narco-trafficking,” the South American president, who last month was sanctioned by the Trump administration, added.

The U.S. has a history of intervening in resource-rich nations behind noble-sounding pretexts. From the oil fields of Iran to the copper mines of Chile, the agricultural lands of Guatemala, the oil reserves of Iraq and Libya, and the mineral wealth of the Congo and Indonesia, U.S. policy has time and again combined strategic interests with economic ambition. Often disguised as a fight against communism, terrorism or a humanitarian crisis, access to highly valued resources was always an important motive. Given its oil reserves and increasingly essential mineral deposits, Venezuela falls squarely within this historical pattern.

Abundant deposits of bauxite, coltan, gold and rare-earth minerals, which are now central to national security and global supply chains, are located in Venezuela, mainly in the southern part of the country. It is there that authority is weakest and armed groups are strongest. — CNN

Minerals makes sense. Not oil.

Minerals makes sense. Not oil. — frank

Actually trade makes far more sense that 19th Century imperialism.

Just look at Iraq. You would assume that because the US invaded the country, installed a government, that US Oil Companies would dominate the country. Well, even if they indeed are there, they hardly can be said to be dominating the place.

Largest oil fields where foreign companies are partnering to drill oil in Iraq :

1. Rumaila BP UK
2. Rumaila CNPC China
3. West Qurna Field Phase 1 Exxon US
4. West Qurna Field Phase 1 Shell UK
5. West Qurna Field Phase 2 Lukoil Russia
6. Majnoon Shell UK
7. Majnoon Petronas Malaysia
8. Zubair ENI Italy
9. Zubair Occidental US
10. Zubair KPRRM UK

So in the largest ten oilfields by production, there's TWO US oil companies. In the next ten oil fields, all are non-US companies.

Hence the idea of of going into a country and de facto colonizing it simply doesn't happen anymore. It's a hugely naive and delusional idea.

What has Trump here actually done? He has rattled his sabre and intervened on the sea. Then he has asked Maduro to leave the country. Maduro didn't budge. So, that's it. What then?

Occupying a large country that has 30 million people is a huge task, which doesn't make any sense.

Now as Trump is going after oil tankers, it's noteworthy what the response has been from Latin American countries:

Mexico:

Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has urged the United Nations to “prevent any bloodshed” in Venezuela, as Donald Trump piled more pressure on the South American country.

“The United Nations has been conspicuously absent. It must assume its role to prevent any bloodshed and to always seek the peaceful resolution of conflicts,” the leftwing president told reporters the morning after Washington announced a blockade of “sanctioned oil tankers” entering or leaving Venezuela.

Brazil:

SAO PAULO, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Saturday that an "armed intervention in Venezuela would be a humanitarian catastrophe" in the face of escalating actions from the United States toward regional neighbor Venezuela.

Colombia:

(Dec 3, the Guardian) Colombia’s president has warned Donald Trump that he risked “waking the jaguar” after the US leader suggested that any country he believed was making illegal drugs destined for the US was liable to a military attack.

During a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the US president said that military strikes on land targets inside Venezuela would “start very soon”. Trump also warned that any country producing narcotics was a potential target, singling out Colombia, which has long been a close ally in Washington’s “war on drugs”.

Shortly afterwards, Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, hit back in a social media post, saying: “To threaten our sovereignty is to declare war; do not damage two centuries of diplomatic relations.” Petro also invited Trump to visit Colombia – the world’s largest producer of cocaine – to see his government’s efforts to destroy drug-producing labs. “Come with me, and I’ll show you how they are destroyed, one lab every 40 minutes,” he wrote.

Naturally Trump doesn't care at all of the neighboring countries or diplomacy. Building up any coalition to support US military actions is not his thing. Or seeking support or even listening the international organizations, which he hates with all of his guts.

(November 2025) Latin American and European nations issued a call for peace and dialogue following a high-level summit between the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the European Union (EU).

“We reiterate our opposition to the threat or use of force and to any action that is not in accordance with international law and the Charter of the United Nations,” read Sunday’s joint communiqué.

(November 25th 2025) The head of the Organization of American States (OAS) has urged the United States and Venezuela to de-escalate their tensions, warning that the region does not want a war.

Speaking at a virtual press conference, OAS Secretary-General Albert Ramdin said he supported efforts to counter organised crime but insisted they must adhere to international law.

"We don’t want any war in our hemisphere. Peace is truly, ultimately, what everyone in this hemisphere wants. No one wins in a war," Ramdin said.

He added that he was "not in favour of any incident leading to an escalation of a war-like situation."

"We must maintain the hemisphere as a zone of peace," he said.

And then there are very telling actions, for example what the UK intelligence services have done.

(CNN, Nov 12th) The United Kingdom is no longer sharing intelligence with the US about suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean because it does not want to be complicit in US military strikes and believes the attacks are illegal, sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

The UK’s decision marks a significant break from its closest ally and intelligence sharing partner and underscores the growing skepticism over the legality of the US military’s campaign around Latin America.

And it seems it isn't just the UK:

The US military operation against Venezuelan alleged drug traffickers coupled with threats by Donald Trump for a ground assault against President Nicolas Maduro have troubled European powers who retain strategically located territories in the Caribbean, observers say.

The concern of France, the Netherlands and the UK is such that they have started limiting intelligence sharing with Washington about the Caribbean over worries it could be used for strikes that would be considered illegal in their countries, according to officials and sources who spoke to AFP.

All this shows that if (when) US takes military action, Trump's own "special military operation", the response will be cool. Perhaps Bukele of El Salvador and Hungary's Victor Orban will cheer for Trump.

Seizing of oil tankers:

Susy Wiles says it's about regime change.

What else?

And likely Susy really tells the ugly truth here:

“He wants to keep on blowing boats up until [Venezuela’s Nicolas] Maduro cries uncle,” Wiles said of Trump.

And I think that this is the brainfart that Trump is now following. He just assumes that if he blows up boats and seizes oil tankers that Maduro will cave in and flee to Cuba (or something similar).

Why on Earth would Maduro this?

This shows how absolutely incompetent this administration is. It worse as Trump has now around him Yes-men that will do anything he wants, unlike in the first administration when there were "adults in the room". The only thing that Trump can reach is the destruction of US image and standing in the World. Something that Putin will love to see.

The only thing that Trump can reach is the destruction of US image and standing in the World — ssu

I'm not sure how to get it across to you that Americans in general do not care what the US looks like to the rest of the world. At all. Nada.

US lifts sanctions on several Russian defence suppliers
^{— Caliber · Dec 19, 2025}

Iran-related Designations; International Criminal Court-related Designations; Russia-related Designations Removals; Foreign Sanctions Evaders Determination Removal; Issuance of Iran-related and International Criminal Court-related General Licenses
^{— U.S. Department of the Treasury · Dec 18, 2025}

Meanwhile, the Kremlin is helping Maduro.
Then again, Trump is a clown and his entourage a circus.
What's the deal with Trump and Putin anyway? It's come up before. I don't buy Manchurian Candidate type theories myself. But something is going on, even if it's something like Trump having a personal obsession with Putin.

Yes, it must be obsession. We mustn’t forget how depraved Trump is, he is literally Putin’s poodle, eager to roll over and have his tummy tickled. I can’t see how American society can survive this seeing their highest office dragged down into the gutter and the President defecting to the Kremlin.