Trump administration has not consulted US oil majors about Venezuela, oil execs say "I don't think you're going to see any company other than Chevron, who's already there, you know, commit to developing this resource," said one of the executives. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/trump-administration-has-not-consulted-us-oil-majors-about-venezuela-oil-execs-2026-01-05/

Three weeks ago, I mused that the emergence of a democratic state following U.S. military action is unlikely. A more realistic outcome would see Venezuela “in the hands of a right-wing dictator who pushes out Maduro and his clique, inherits the chavista state, and changes only the slogans.” In the event, what we’re going to be stuck with is even more absurd: a left-wing dictator drawn from Maduro’s own clique who won’t even change the slogans, just cut some energy deals to make Donald Trump’s cronies in the oil industry rich.

Venezuela’s New President Is No Moderate

In fact, Delcy Rodríguez is a regime extremist.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/01/04/us-venezuela-plan-trump-rubio-miller/

Cheers, MAGA.

“It’s kind of like an odd argument,” he said. “You owe me some money. We both went to court. The court said, ‘You pay me this.’ You start paying me, then I — by force, by the imposition of sanctions — make it impossible for you to continue paying me, and then I accuse you of stealing something from me.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/12/20/venezuela-oil-nationalization-expropriation/ https://archive.ph/IlRWh#selection-747.0-747.304

The story might be better staged as a Coen Brothers buddy movie featuring Stephen Miller, channeling Dr. Strangelove, looking for any opportunity to push harder against immigration, preferably in the form of bombing, even if it contributes to the root cause of drug trafficking and immigration, while Marco Rubio pursues the most stale kind of Cuban-American politics.

emptywheel

"Border security is the primary element of national security." - emptywheel

Stephen Miller, who never tires of confessing that his understanding of immigrants in the United States is entirely fictional nonsense, has neverth...

How Oil, Drugs and Immigration Fueled Trump’s Venezuela Campaign [Or why the USA needs to recognize Cuba and stop worrying about Florida's swing state status] The Cuban American lawmakers got wind that the license could be extended, and they threatened to withhold their votes for Mr. Trump’s signature legislation, “the One Big Beautiful Bill.”

How Oil, Drugs and Immigration Fueled Trump’s Venezuela Campaign

New details of deliberations show how aides with overlapping agendas drove the United States toward a militarized confrontation with Venezuela.

https://archive.ph/pnWpI#selection-889.0-898.0