Turmoil in Venezuela

[SilentFeathers]

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)

Posted by SilentFeathers (here)

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)

Posted by SilentFeathers (here)
Now we'll likely see a far left judge order him to be returned to Venezuela.

Well, good! (if that ever were to happen...)

(...so does that view make me 'Far Left"...??)

I am starting to wonder

Made me laugh!

I'm a genuine Libertarian. Among much else, that means no interference in the affairs of other sovereign countries unless a war is morally justified and formally declared.

Although now far weaker than it was, the US remains the most dangerous nation on the planet.

The blowback from this brazen move could turn out rather quite deadly. It really wouldn't take much to have this totally spin out of control.

The dynamics here are VERY different than say, Iraq or Afghanistan, but extremely dangerous none the less.

The US better show the Venezuelan people this action will benefit them, and fast, or all hell will break out.

[Mike]

All the countries on earth are chess pieces. Venezuela is a chess piece. The U.S. just took it. And being from the U.S., I'm glad. I'm pleased to be on the winning team.

I understand why non U.S. citizens might not like what's happened, but I'm not buying the indignation. Everyone understands this is a strategic move, though we all prefer to pretend we don't understand how the world works when we want our indignation to suggest some kind of unique morality on our part.

Venezuela's geopolitical value is complex, as Richard outlined in his post. Basically what happened here is that while everyone else was playing passive-aggressive footsie, the U.S. just went in and overtly took it. It was smart.

Whether we make a mess of it or not, time will tell.

[Bill Ryan]

Clayton Morris from Redacted has just aired an unscheduled livestream on this.

After a long intro, the feature starts at 16:15, and Col. Douglas Macgregor comes on at 18:00 for just over half an hour.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=k0M6Ef-Ahcs

[bojancan]

More knowledge about this country/Venezuela... very in deep conversation about attack with Max Blumenthal and Anya Parampil... interesting! Still listening LIVE


Jan, 03
Government by gangsterism - The Grayzone live

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=iTgkGSeJfhg

Max Blumenthal and Anya Parampil discuss the US regime change war on Venezuela, the kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro, and Trump's claim to have taken over the country....

[Bill Ryan]

Posted by Mike (here)
And being from the U.S., I'm glad. I'm pleased to be on the winning team.

The issue is that no-one yet knows if the US is 'the winning team' or not. (I rather suspect it will not be.)

A chess player might maneuver to take a pawn, or even a knight or a bishop. But that in no way predicts the outcome of the game.

[rgray222]

Most Venezuelans are reportedly happy about the U.S. invasion and capture of President Nicolás Maduro due to years of severe political repression, economic collapse, and humanitarian crisis under his regime. To understand why that sentiment exist it is worth reading this article from the Asia Times. Twenty five percent of the population has left the country since Maduro took over.

Anatomy of an economic suicide: Venezuela under Maduro

A forensic audit (2013-2025) shows how South America’s richest nation evaporated 80% of GDP through monetary malpractice and institutional decay



This report is not a political manifesto; it is an economic autopsy. It’s about the arithmetic of ruin. Between 2013 and 2025, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela experienced the single largest economic contraction in modern history for a country not at war. According to data from the World Bank and the IMF, the economy evaporated approximately 80% of its GDP, a figure that dwarfs what happened to the United States in the Great Depression (29%) and to the Soviet Union during its collapse.

For the international observer, particularly in Asia, this collapse offers a critical case study in “fiscal dominance” and the destruction of the price mechanism. It was not merely the result of falling oil prices, or external sanctions, but the mathematical inevitability of specific technical decisions: the monetization of deficits, the expropriation of supply chains and the decapitalization of the state oil company (PDVSA).

The technical anatomy of this implosion is presented here in four distinct acts.

Act 1: the resource curse and the ’empty chest’ (2013–2014)

The Dutch disease and the Chinese mirage: When Nicolás Maduro assumed power in 2013, he inherited an economy in an acute stage of “Dutch Disease.” The country remained 96% dependent on oil exports for foreign currency. The non-oil tradable sector had been rendered uncompetitive by a wildly overvalued currency (the bolívar) and years of expropriations.

The structural fragility was masked by oil prices averaging $100 per barrel. However, unlike Norway or the Gulf states, which utilized sovereign wealth funds to sterilize excess liquidity, Venezuela’s Macroeconomic Stabilization Fund (FEM) was effectively empty, holding less than $3 million when the crisis began.

The strategic error: When crude prices collapsed in late 2014, the state faced a binary choice: fiscal austerity or monetary expansion. It chose the latter. The administration attempted to plug a fiscal gap – approaching 15% of GDP – not by cutting spending, but by expanding the monetary base.

The Asian connection – the railway to nowhere: This period was defined by massive, opaque borrowing from China (approximately $60 billion in loan-for-oil deals). A prime example of this era’s failure is the Tinaco-Anaco railway, a $7.5 billion high-speed rail contract awarded to the China Railway Group. Intended to connect the agricultural plains, the project was abandoned by 2015 due to payment failures. Today, the looted remains of the factories stand as a monument to the inefficiency of the “rentier state” model.

Act 2: the death of the price mechanism (2015–2018)

Supply shocks and the ‘fair prices act‘: As inflation ticked upward, the government made a fatal technical error: it attacked the symptom (prices) rather than the cause (liquidity). The 2014 “Fair Prices Act” capped profit margins and mandated sales below replacement cost.

The economic result was a textbook negative supply shock. Manufacturers, unable to cover marginal costs, halted production lines. The scarcity index for basic goods skyrocketed to over 80%. To manage the fallout, the government militarized food distribution (CLAP), shifting from a market economy to a clientelist rationing system prone to massive corruption.

The monetary spiral – hyperinflation: Simultaneously, the Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV) lost all autonomy, functioning as a printing press for the Ministry of Finance. This triggered hyperinflation – technically defined as monthly inflation exceeding 50% – in November 2016. By 2018, annual inflation hit an astronomical 130,060% (official BCV figures), though IMF estimates were higher.

Currency redenomination – a history of zeros: To mask the collapse of the currency’s value, the state engaged in serial redenomination.

• 2008: 3 zeros removed (bolívar fuerte).
• 2018: 5 zeros removed (bolívar soberano).
• 2021: 6 zeros removed (bolívar digital).

In total, 14 zeros were stripped from the currency in 13 years. Without structural reform to stop the printing presses, these measures were purely cosmetic accounting adjustments that failed to restore the “store of value” function of money.

The failed tech pivot – the ‘petro‘: In a desperate bid to bypass financial blockades, the regime launched the “Petro” in 2018, purportedly the world’s first state-backed cryptocurrency pegged to oil reserves. It failed due to a lack of trust, technical opacity, and its inability to be traded on international exchanges. Instead of a financial revolution, it became another vehicle for illicit finance before quietly being dismantled.

Act 3: engine failure (the collapse of PDVSA)

Decapitalization and the brain drain: The narrative that sanctions killed the oil industry is incomplete. Data show that the collapse began well before the severe 2019 sanctions. The root cause was the systematic destruction of human and physical capital within PDVSA, the state oil company.

Following the 2003 strikes, the executive branch fired over 18,000 technocrats – geologists, reservoir engineers, and managers – stripping the company of its institutional memory. They were replaced by political loyalists.

In the capital-intensive oil industry, failure to invest in depreciation and amortization (D&A) is fatal. PDVSA stopped injecting water and gas into aging wells to maintain pressure. Result: production freefall from 3 million barrels per day (bpd) to a nadir of under 700,000 bpd by 2020.

Infrastructure failure – the 2019 blackouts: The collapse was sealed by the physical failure of the power grid. The March 2019 nationwide blackout, caused by brush fires and neglected transmission lines at the Guri Dam, paralyzed the country for days. Without electricity to power the upgraders in the Orinoco Belt, the heavy crude turned into sludge in the pipes, causing permanent damage to the infrastructure. This event alone cost the economy an estimated $2.9 billion in GDP.

Act 4: the zombie economy and dollarization (2019–2025)

Capitulation to the greenback: By 2019, facing total collapse, the administration implicitly surrendered to the market. Price controls were abandoned, and the US dollar was allowed to circulate freely (de facto dollarization).

This stopped the hyperinflationary bleeding but bifurcated the nation into two distinct economies.

• The dollar economy (20%): A segment fueled by remittances, illicit gold exports to Turkey/UAE, and government contracting. This group shops in high-end “bodegóns” aiming to replicate Miami lifestyles in Caracas.
• The bolívar economy (80%): Public sector workers and pensioners earning in
• local currency, whose purchasing power was obliterated.

2025 status: the ‘Chevron cushion‘: By late 2025, Venezuela had stabilized into a “zombie economy” – not dead, but not truly alive. Oil production crawled back toward 900,000 bpd, aided by specific licenses for Chevron (US) and swap deals with Reliance Industries (India) involving naphtha for crude.

However, with a credit-starved banking sector (due to 73% reserve requirements) and decimated public utilities, sustainable growth remained mathematically impossible.

Inequality metrics: The Gini coefficient rose from 40.7 in 2014 to 53.9 in 2024, making Venezuela the most unequal country in the Americas.

The breaking point: The Venezuelan collapse serves as a grim case study in public goods failure. The primary economic mandate of a state is to provide a stable currency, security and basic infrastructure (power/water). When a government fails to protect the value of money or the stability of the grid, its economic legitimacy evaporates.

The exodus of 7.7 million Venezuelans (approximately 25% of the population) represents a massive loss of human capital that will handicap the nation’s recovery for decades. The crisis was a result not of low oil prices – other petrostates survived – but of the dismantling of the institutional frameworks that allow an economy to function.

To read the full story https://asiatimes.com/2026/01/anatom...-under-maduro/

[Jaak]

When did USA start to sanction Venezuela and how did those sanctions affect their economy ?


Watched some live stream how Maduro got moved from plane in New York . Commentator mentioned that workers of Chevron are already roaming around in Venezuela , busy securing / stealing their oil ...

[Ravenlocke]

GEOPOLÍTICA 🌐

Translated from Spanish
‼️BETRAYAL AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL‼️
The work of the Delta Team to extract Maduro,(it could only be achieved by buying off his inner circle) was secured by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR).

In the video, his flight today over CARACAS is shown, something impossible if the layers of air defense were active...who or who can give such orders?

https://x.com/Geopolitik_2030/status...38085223518572

[Ravenlocke]

YOURMEDIA AGENCY

Translated from German

#Maduro #CIA The person from Maduro's inner circle who revealed his whereabouts will receive 50 million US dollars as a reward, according to the New York Times this evening. The US intelligence agency CIA is said to have placed one of Maduro's closest confidants for over half a year in such a way that the Americans always knew where the President of Venezuela was at the moment. Maduro and his wife are said to have been caught off guard in their sleep. To cover up and "disguise" the intelligence operation, the USA carried out airstrikes on low-value military targets of the opponent. Apart from the capture, "nothing" is said to have happened. Trump clearly wants to use the "high-ranking prisoner" as a hostage in talks with Beijing and Moscow right now. Such an approach will not sit well with the two at all. Conflicts (elsewhere) will escalate.
https://x.com/YourmediaAgency/status...85586555449500

[Ravenlocke]

Max Blumenthal

I interviewed incoming Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez in her office four years ago

Toward the end of our exchange, I asked her about her father, revolutionary leader Jorge Antonio Rodriguez, who was jailed and tortured to death by the US-backed gov't in 1976, and how that experience has informed her as Venezuela confronts the coordinated violence of the opposition and threats of invasion from Washington

Reflecting on the torture that leftists endured under cover of "liberal democracy" during Venezuela's Fourth Republic, she said, "The same forces who disappeared people, who tortured and murdered when they were in power, is the same opposition that has not changed its behavior but points to us as the violators of human rights"

My complete interview from December 2020 with Delcy Rodriguez, which focused on the Venezuelan state's response to US economic warfare

Rodriguez was just sworn in as Venezuela's president following the US kidnapping of Nicolas Maduro

https://x.com/MaxBlumenthal/status/2007530530968052146

[SilentFeathers]

Posted by Mike (here)
All the countries on earth are chess pieces. Venezuela is a chess piece. The U.S. just took it. And being from the U.S., I'm glad. I'm pleased to be on the winning team.

I understand why non U.S. citizens might not like what's happened, but I'm not buying the indignation. Everyone understands this is a strategic move, though we all prefer to pretend we don't understand how the world works when we want our indignation to suggest some kind of unique morality on our part.

Venezuela's geopolitical value is complex, as Richard outlined in his post. Basically what happened here is that while everyone else was playing passive-aggressive footsie, the U.S. just went in and overtly took it. It was smart.

Whether we make a mess of it or not, time will tell.

It appears the US is in this latest chess move for the long run. Right now it appears to be "check mate" for the time being.

Personally I have a hard time believing China and Russia wasn't somehow "in the loop" on this. I don't think they'll do anything about it. There's probably deals going on behind the scenes that would blow our minds.

One good thing on Trumps side is that most of the people have the attention span of a gnat and as long as this doesn't spiral out of control and stay in the main news cycle, they'll be screaming and complaining about something completely different in a week or two.

2026 is off to a wild start, I imagine it'll only get wilder.

[bojancan]

So young.. 23 years old.. and so smart... I respect you Adam..
This Trump's "criminal circus" will not end well.. that's me think...

Jan, 03
Adam Mockler
1.79M subscribers
Trump's SECRET HEIST just got EXPOSED TO ALL...

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=UD2Qz0whYx4

[abmqa]

Posted by Jaak (here)

Reporter: Do you envision the U.S. Military having a presence in Venezuela as the U.S. Runs that country?

Trump: We are going to have a presence in Venezuela as it pertains to oil. We are going to be taking out a tremendous amount of wealth out of the ground… It goes also to the US in the form of reimbursement for the damages caused us by that country

Thomas Massie is going NUCLEAR on Trump’s regime change war in Venezuela.

“How did it work out in Cuba, Libya, Iraq, or Syria?”

“Do we want another Afghanistan in the Western Hemisphere?”

“This is about oil and regime change.”

“Previous presidents told us to go to war over WMDs, weapons of mass destruction, that did not exist.”

“Now it’s the same playbook, except we’re told that drugs are the WMDs.”

“James Madison warned us that in no part of the Constitution is more wisdom to be found than in the clause which confides the question of war and peace to the legislature—not the executive.”

“The framers understood a simple truth: to the extent that war-making power devolves to one person, liberty dissolves.”

“By escalating toward war, we would predictably create countless refugees.”

“Are we prepared to receive swarms of the 25 million Venezuelans who will likely become refugees?”

Trump has been after Maduro for quite a while. However, the timing of this operation is quite significant since it's an opportunity to "Wag the Dog". Much of the controversial things that the Trump administration has been doing, since violating the Epstein Files Transparency Act, has been an attempt to distract public interest away from the files. This military action should be investigated as related to the Epstein files cover up when the inevitable congressional hearings occur. Imo

[Tintin]

From the cache of US diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks some 15 years or so ago, and brought to our attention via Stefania Maurizi on X, and her comment below:

__________________________________-

There is a document you need to read to understand 20 years of secret warfare by the United States against Venezuela: this US diplomatic cable revealed by #JA and #WikiLeaks on the infiltration of civil society in #Venezuela is a must read:

Link: https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/06CARACAS3356_a.html

___________________________________

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 04 CARACAS 003356

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

HQSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD
DEPT PASS TO AID/OTI RPORTER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/02/2026
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PHUM, VE
SUBJECT: USAID/OTI PROGRAMMATIC SUPPORT FOR COUNTRY TEAM 5
POINT STRATEGY

CARACAS 00003356 001.2 OF 004


Classified By: Robert Downes, Political Counselor,
for Reason 1.4(d).

-------
SUMMARY
-------

1. (S) During his 8 years in power, President Chavez has
systematically dismantled the institutions of democracy and
governance. The USAID/OTI program objectives in Venezuela
focus on strengthening democratic institutions and spaces
through non-partisan cooperation with many sectors of
Venezuelan society.

2. (S) In August of 2004, Ambassador outlined the country
team's 5 point strategy to guide embassy activities in
Venezuela for the period 2004 ) 2006 (specifically, from the
referendum to the 2006 presidential elections). The
strategy's focus is: 1) Strengthening Democratic
Institutions, 2) Penetrating Chavez' Political Base, 3)
Dividing Chavismo, 4) Protecting Vital US business, and 5)
Isolating Chavez internationally.

3. (S) A brief description of USAID/OTI activities during
the aforementioned time period in support of the strategy
follows:

-------------
Strengthen Democratic Institutions
-------------

4. (S) This strategic objective represents the majority of
USAID/OTI work in Venezuela. Organized civil society is an
increasingly important pillar of democracy, one where
President Chavez has not yet been able to assert full
control.

5. (S) OTI has supported over 300 Venezuelan civil society
organizations with technical assistance, capacity building,
connecting them with each other and international movements,
and with financial support upwards of $15 million. Of these,
39 organizations focused on advocacy have been formed since
the arrival of OTI; many of these organizations as a direct
result of OTI programs and funding.

6. (S) Human Rights: OTI supports the Freedom House (FH)
"Right to Defend Human Rights" program with $1.1 million.
Simultaneously through Development Alternatives Inc. (DAI),
OTI has also provided 22 grants to human rights
organizations, totaling $726,000. FH provides training and
technical assistance to 15 different smaller and regional
human rights organizations on how to research, document, and
present cases in situations of judicial impunity through a
specialized software and proven techniques. Following are
some specific successes from this project, which has led to a
better understanding internationally of the deteriorating
human rights situation in the country:

Venezuelan Prison Observatory: Since beginning work with
OTI, OVP has taken 1 case successfully through the
inter-American system, achieving a ruling requiring BRV
special protective measures for the prison "La Pica". Also,
on November 7th - 12th they will be launching the
Latin-American Prison Observatory, consolidating their work
with a regional network. OVP receives technical support from
FH, as well as monetary support from Pan American Development
Foundation (PADF). Due to the success of the OVP in raising
awareness of the issue, the BRV has put pressure on them in
the form of public statements, announcing investigations,
accusing them of alleged crimes as well as death threats.

Central Venezuelan University Human Rights Center: This
center was created out of the FH program and a grant from

CARACAS 00003356 002.2 OF 004


DAI. They have successfully raised awareness regarding the
International Cooperation Law and the human rights situation
in Venezuela, and have served as a voice nationally and
internationally.

Human Rights Lawyers Network in Bolivar State: This group
was created out of the FH program and a grant from the DAI
small grants program. They are currently supporting the
victims of a massacre of 12 miners in Bolivar State allegedly
by the Venezuelan Army. Chavez himself was forced to admit
that the military used excessive force in this case. They
will present their case to the Inter-American Commission on
Human Rights in February 2007.

7. (S) Citizen Participation in Governance: Venezuelan
NGOs lack a long history of social activism. In response,
OTI partners are training NGOs to be activists and become
more involved in advocacy. The successes of this focus have
been as follows:

Support for the Rights of the Handicapped: OTI has funded 3
projects in the Caracas area dealing with the rights of the
handicapped. Venezuela had neither the appropriate
legislation nor political will to assure that the cities are
designed and equipped in a handicapped sensitive fashion.
Through these programs, OTI brought the issue of the
handicapped to the forefront, trained advocacy groups to
advocate for their rights and lobby the National Assembly,
and alerted the press regarding this issue. Subsequent to
this, the National Assembly was forced to consider
handicapped needs and propose draft legislation for the issue.

Por la Caracas Possible (PCP): Once-beautiful Caracas has
decayed over the past several years due to corruption and
lack of attention. PCP is a local NGO dedicated to bringing
attention to this problem. They have held campaigns with
communities shining a light on the terrible job elected
leadership are doing resolving the problems in Caracas.
During their work they have been expelled from communities by
the elected leaders, further infuriating communities that
already feel un-assisted.

8. (S) Civic Education: One effective Chavista mechanism
of control applies democratic vocabulary to support
revolutionary Bolivarian ideology. OTI has been working to
counter this through a civic education program called
"Democracy Among Us". This interactive education program
works through NGOs in low income communities to deliver five
modules: 1) Separation of Powers, 2) Rule of Law, 3) The
Role and Responsibility of Citizens, 4) Political Tolerance,
and 5) The Role of Civil Society. Separate civic education
programs in political tolerance, participation, and human
rights have reached over 600,000 people.

--------------
Penetrate Base/Divide Chavismo
--------------

9. (S) Another key Chavez strategy is his attempt to divide
and polarize Venezuelan society using rhetoric of hate and
violence. OTI supports local NGOs who work in Chavista
strongholds and with Chavista leaders, using those spaces to
counter this rhetoric and promote alliances through working
together on issues of importance to the entire community.
OTI has directly reached approximately 238,000 adults through
over 3000 forums, workshops and training sessions delivering
alternative values and providing opportunities for opposition
activists to interact with hard-core Chavistas, with the
desired effect of pulling them slowly away from Chavismo. We
have supported this initiative with 50 grants totaling over
$1.1 million. There are several key examples of this:

10. (S) Visor Participativo: This is a group of 34 OTI

CARACAS 00003356 003.2 OF 004


funded and technically assisted NGOs working together on
municipal strengthening. They work in 48 municipalities
(Venezuela has 337), with 31 MVR, 2 PPT and 15 opposition
mayors. As Chavez attempts to re-centralize the country, OTI
through Visor is supporting decentralization. Much of this
is done through the municipal councils (CLPPs). The National
Assembly recently passed a law that creates groups parallel
to the mayor's offices and municipal councils (and that
report directly to the president's office). These groups are
receiving the lions share of new monies Chavez is pumping
into the regions, leaving the municipalities under-funded.
As Chavez attempts to re-centralize all power to the
Executive in the capital, local Chavista leadership are
becoming the opposition as their individual oxen are gored.
Visor has been providing these leaders with tools and skills
for leadership to counter the threat represented by the new
legislation.

11. (S) CECAVID: This project supported an NGO working
with women in the informal sectors of Barquisimeto, the 5th
largest city in Venezuela. The training helped them
negotiate with city government to provide better working
conditions. After initially agreeing to the women's
conditions, the city government reneged and the women shut
down the city for 2 days forcing the mayor to return to the
bargaining table. This project is now being replicated in
another area of Venezuela.

12. (S) PROCATIA: OTI has partnered with a group widely
perceived by people in the large Caracas &barrio8 as
opposition leaning. Due to incompetence of the local elected
leadership, the garbage problem in Catia is a messy issue for
all those who live there. This group has organized brigades
to collect and recycle trash, in the process putting pressure
on the government to provide basic services and repositioning
the group as a respected ally of the "barrio."

13. (S) Finally, through support of a positive social
impact campaign in cooperation with PAS, OTI funded 54 social
projects all over the country, at over $1.2 million, allowing
Ambassador to visit poor areas of Venezuela and demonstrate
US concern for the Venezuelan people. This program fosters
confusion within the Bolivarian ranks, and pushes back at the
attempt of Chavez to use the United States as a "unifying
enemy."

---------------
Isolate Chavez
---------------

14. (S) An important component of the OTI program is
providing information internationally regarding the true
revolutionary state of affairs. OTI,s support for human
rights organizations has provided ample opportunity to do so.
The FH exchanges allowed Venezuelan human rights
organizations to visit Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, Chile,
Argentina, Costa Rica, and Washington DC to educate their
peers regarding the human rights situation. Also, DAI has
brought dozens of international leaders to Venezuela,
university professors, NGO members, and political leaders to
participate in workshops and seminars, who then return to
their countries with a better understanding of the Venezuelan
reality and as stronger advocates for the Venezuelan
opposition.

15. (S) More recently, OTI has taken advantage of the draft
law of International Cooperation to send NGO representatives
to international NGO conferences where they are able to voice
their concerns in terms that global civil society
understands. So far, OTI has sent Venezuelan NGO leaders to
Turkey, Scotland, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Chile, Uruguay,
Washington and Argentina (twice) to talk about the law.
Upcoming visits are planned to Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia.

CARACAS 00003356 004.2 OF 004


OTI has also brought 4 recognized experts in NGO law from
abroad to Venezuela to show solidarity for their Venezuelan
counterparts. PADF supported visits by 4 key human rights
defenders to the Inter-American Human Rights Commission
meetings in Washington in October of 2006. These have led to
various successes:

Civicus, a world alliance of NGOs, has put the Venezuela
issue on their Civil Society Watch short list of countries of
concern.

Gente de Soluciones, a Venezuelan NGO presented their
"Project Society" to the OAS General Assembly. While there,
they met with many of the Ambassadors and Foreign Ministers
of OAS member states to express concern about the law.

Uruguayan parliamentarians met with NGOs at a special session
of the Foreign Affairs commission, and have promised to help
where they can.

The Human Rights Commission of the OAS has made several
public statements and sent private letters to the National
Assembly expressing concern with the law.

The most prestigious law faculty in Buenos Aires, Argentina
has committed to hosting an event to deal with the draft law.

The Democratic Observatory of MERCOSUR plans to hold an event
early next year to discuss the draft law.

So far the Venezuelan National Assembly has received many
letters and emails of opposition to the law from groups all
over the world.

A private meeting between 4 Venezuelan human rights defenders
and Secretary General Jose Miguel Inzulsa during the October
2006 Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (please
protect).

The press, both local and international, has been made aware
of the proposed law and it has received wide play in the US
as well as in Latin America

16. (S) OTI has also created a web site which has been sent
to thousands of people all over the world with details of the
law in an interactive format.

-------
Comment
-------

17. (S) Through carrying out positive activities, working
in a non-partisan way across the ideological landscape, OTI
has been able to achieve levels of success in carrying out
the country team strategy in Venezuela. These successes have
come with increasing opposition by different sectors of
Venezuelan society and the Venezuelan government. Should
Chavez win the December 3rd presidential elections, OTI
expects the atmosphere for our work in Venezuela to become
more complicated.

BROWNFIELD

[apokalypse]

The real reason the US is invading Venezuela goes back to a deal Henry Kissinger made with Saudi Arabia in 1974.

And I'm going to explain why this is actually about the SURVIVAL of the US dollar itself.

Not drugs. Not terrorism. Not "democracy."

This is about the petrodollar system that has kept America the dominant economic power for 50 years.

And Venezuela just threatened to end it.

Here's what really just happened:

Venezuela has 303 billion barrels of proven oil reserves.

The largest on Earth.

More than Saudi Arabia.

20% of the entire world's oil.

But here's the part that matters:

Venezuela was actively selling that oil in Chinese yuan. Not dollars.

In 2018, Venezuela announced it would "free itself from the dollar."

They started accepting yuan, euros, rubles, anything BUT dollars for oil.

They were petitioning to join BRICS.

They were building direct payment channels with China that bypass SWIFT entirely.

And they were sitting on enough oil to fund de-dollarization for decades.

Why does this matter?

Because the entire American financial system is built on one thing:

The petrodollar.

In 1974, Henry Kissinger made a deal with Saudi Arabia:

All oil sold globally must be priced in US dollars.

In exchange, America provides military protection.

This single agreement created artificial demand for dollars worldwide.

Every country on Earth needs dollars to buy oil.

This lets America print unlimited money while other countries work for it.

It funds the military. The welfare state. The deficit spending.

The petrodollar is more important to US hegemony than aircraft carriers.

And there's a pattern of what happens to leaders who challenge it:

2000: Saddam Hussein announces Iraq will sell oil in euros instead of dollars.

2003: Invaded. Regime change. Iraq's oil immediately switched back to dollars. Saddam lynched.

The WMDs were never found because they never existed.

2009: Gaddafi proposes a gold-backed African currency called the "gold dinar" for oil trade.

Hillary Clinton's own leaked emails confirm this was the PRIMARY reason for intervention.

Email quote: "This gold was intended to establish a pan-African currency based on the Libyan golden Dinar."

2011: NATO bombs Libya. Gaddafi sodomized and murdered. Libya now has open slave markets.

"We came, we saw, he died!" Clinton laughed on camera.

The gold dinar died with him.

And now Maduro.

With FIVE TIMES more oil than Saddam and Gaddafi combined.

Actively selling in yuan.

Building payment systems outside dollar control.

Petitioning to join BRICS.

Partnered with China, Russia, and Iran.

The three countries leading global de-dollarization.

This isn't coincidence.

Challenge the petrodollar. Get regime changed.

Every. Single. Time.

Stephen Miller (US homeland security advisor) literally said it out loud two weeks ago:

"American sweat, ingenuity and toil created the oil industry in Venezuela. Its tyrannical expropriation was the largest recorded theft of American wealth and property."

He's not hiding it.

They're claiming Venezuelan oil BELONGS to America because US companies developed it 100 years ago.

By this logic, every nationalized resource in history was "theft."

But here's the DEEPER problem:

The petrodollar is already dying.

Russia sells oil in rubles and yuan since Ukraine.

Saudi Arabia is openly discussing yuan settlements.

Iran has been trading in non-dollar currencies for years.

China built CIPS, their own alternative to SWIFT with 4,800 banks in 185 countries.

BRICS is actively building payment systems that bypass the dollar entirely.

The mBridge project lets central banks settle trades instantly in local currencies.

Venezuela joining BRICS with 303 billion barrels of oil would accelerate this exponentially.

That's what this invasion is really about.

Not stopping drugs. Venezuela accounts for less than 1% of US cocaine.

Not terrorism. There's zero evidence Maduro runs a "terror organization."

Not democracy. The US supports Saudi Arabia, which has zero elections.

This is about maintaining a 50-year-old agreement that lets America print money while the world works for it.

And the consequences are terrifying:

Russia, China, and Iran are already denouncing this as "armed aggression."

China is Venezuela's biggest oil customer. They're losing billions.

BRICS nations are watching a country get invaded for trading outside the dollar.

Every nation considering de-dollarization just got the message:

Challenge the dollar and we will bomb you.

But here's the problem...

That message might accelerate de-dollarization, not stop it.

Because now every country in the Global South knows what happens if you threaten dollar hegemony.

And they're realizing the only protection is to move FASTER.

The timing is insane too:

January 3rd, 2026. Venezuela invaded. Maduro captured.

January 3rd, 1990. Panama invaded. Noriega captured.

36 years apart. Almost to the day.

Same playbook. Same "drug trafficking" excuse.

Same real reason: control of strategic resources and trade routes.

History doesn't repeat. But it rhymes.

What happens next:

Trump's press conference at Mar-a-Lago sets the narrative.

US oil companies are already lined up. Politico reported they've been approached about "returning to Venezuela."

The opposition will be installed. Oil will flow in dollars again.

Venezuela becomes another Iraq. Another Libya.

But here's what nobody's asking:

What happens when you can no longer bomb your way to dollar dominance?

When China has enough economic leverage to retaliate?

When BRICS controls 40% of global GDP and says "no more dollars"?

When the world realizes the petrodollar is maintained by violence?

America just showed its hand.

The question is whether the rest of the world folds or calls the bluff.

Because this invasion is an admission that the dollar can no longer compete on its own merits.

When you have to bomb countries to keep them using your currency, the currency is already dying.

Venezuela isn't the beginning.

It's the desperate end.

What do you think?
https://x.com/Ric_RTP/status/2007429683713917147

[apokalypse]

@NatRothschild1
Well done Donald J Trump. #venezuelalibre https://x.com/NatRothschild1/status/2007386888529903759

@Bannons_WarRoom
RAMIREZ: Maduro isn’t the whole regime. Trump’s team has to take out Diosdado Cabello and Padrino López. They control the guns, the courts, and the Cartel de los Soles. Without removing them, Venezuela doesn’t change. https://x.com/Bannons_WarRoom/status...35010530914592

[apokalypse]

Posted by abmqa (here)
[

Trump has been after Maduro for quite a while. However, the timing of this operation is quite significant since it's an opportunity to "Wag the Dog". Much of the controversial things that the Trump administration has been doing, since violating the Epstein Files Transparency Act, has been an attempt to distract public interest away from the files. This military action should be investigated as related to the Epstein files cover up when the inevitable congressional hearings occur. Imo

agreed, big opportunity and it's win win situation for all especially israel..it's the timing

[Jaak]

Interesting if true

[bojancan]

For over nearly two years, when I found Brian... I always love to hear his point of view on everything... I respect his analyses very much, which are backed by fact and written plans for the future by those... now is also Trump regime among them.... who are malevolent to humanity!


Jan, 04
The New Atlas
301K subscribers
US Regime Change War on Venezuela Escalates the US War on Multipolarism Worldwide

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=hQ6SCrjwt4k

The latest US regime change war targeting Venezuela - launched under a false pretext - is part of a global war the US is waging against multipolarism - and more specifically - on the rise of China.

[T Smith]

Posted by apokalypse (here)

This is about the petrodollar system that has kept America the dominant economic power for 50 years.

And Venezuela just threatened to end it.

I would argue the real economic power is the banking cartel operating out of the City of London (and via its little brother, Wall Street). Yes, America is the dominant power, but only because those who have captured America's government need its might, riches, and military to serve the interests of the City of London, not the people of America. Some argue Trump is an outsider of this captured system and is attempting to set America (and Venezuela) free, to restore the government to true sovereignty by and for the people, so the government serves the people. One can dumb this idea down (and it has been dumbed down so the average person unaware of the veiled power structure can understand) with slogans like "America First" and "Make America Great Again."

I'm not arguing for or against Trump's role as POTUS relative to this paradigm of understanding, but I do recognize the argument. And there are merits and evidence suggesting this is indeed the modus operandi of Trump's presidency. My view? It appears Trump is a maverick operating outside the interests of City of London (or at least can't be fully handled by the City of London) thus I sit up and take notice. Put another way, the jury is out. Let's see how the cards fall and how it all plays out. History will speak to these viewpoints much clearer than any of us can articulate at present with preconceived biases and limited understanding.

Posted by apokalypse (here)

Here's what really just happened:

Venezuela has 303 billion barrels of proven oil reserves.

The largest on Earth.

More than Saudi Arabia.

20% of the entire world's oil.

But here's the part that matters:

Venezuela was actively selling that oil in Chinese yuan. Not dollars.

In 2018, Venezuela announced it would "free itself from the dollar."

They started accepting yuan, euros, rubles, anything BUT dollars for oil.

This is part of the picture, but not all of it. Regardless whether Maduro and his handlers stole the last election (extremely likely), or the degree to which the drug/human trafficking cartel and global oligarchs handle Maduro to serve their interests at the expense of the Venezuelan people, and regardless of the degree to which the aforementioned power bloc has manipulated U.S. elections for decades (think Dominion) by installing proxies to do the same to we plebs here in the U.S., i.e., to rape, pillage, and plunder the masses under a fuzzily-perceived globalist banner disguised as liberalism, there is little dispute Venezuela is a vassal state of Russia/China/BRICs. All these countries, as I see it, are vying for power and status as we approach a great financial reset. So of course those interests want to crush the Petrodollar. To some degree, I would argue the "American First" crowd is itself looking to transition away from the Petrodollar, as a sovereign with a new sound money system, without diminishing America's power and influence on the world stage. The Petrodollar is unsustainable and serves the interests of the banking cartel.

But as far as I can tell, what's happening is much more than the propping up the Petrodollar. Geopolitically speaking, the BRIC countries and anyone with a couple brain cells at work can see the writing on the wall, i.e., the days of the old Bretton Woods system are numbered. Put another way, all the geopolitical actors on the world stage are now preparing accordingly for a Bretton Woods Redux, perhaps after a fatal financial meltdown or global war, or after some other black-swan trigger. So more than accepting yuan, euros, rubles for oil, this power bloc has been siphoning Venezuela's rare earth minerals and precious metals away from the United States sphere of influence, stockpiling, manipulating price, and preparing for a reserve currency backed system backed by a basket of gold, silver, Bitcoin, and potentially other rare-earth minerals. These metals are not only vital to establish a sustainable reserve currency, but also for the US to retain an robust industrial economy and its national sovereignty (and not succumb to the fate of vassal state to whatever power positions itself the best for the reset).

All said, I don't think it is a coincidence the move to remove Maduro comes on the heals of the United States declaring silver a critical mineral to national security, or that the price of silver has tripled and its supply has reached a critical shortage on the world stage. The Venezuelan ships seized by the US, headed to China, were likely carrying silver concentrate as well as oil. So removing Maduro is a Monroe-Doctrine move by Trump, jockeying with China and Russia to control America's sphere of influence over critical resources necessary to United States' national security, not only of Venezuelan oil (which will henceforth price in dollars), but also gold, silver, copper, lithium, and other rare earth minerals, which will back the new reserve currency and without which modern life and the industrial economy as we know it does not function.

All said, as pointed out by others above, whether this "geopolitical jockeying for resources" has unintended blowback, negative (or positive) consequences, and/or serves the people or a global elite remains to be seen. The jury is out.