December 5, 2025
A very close friend of mine in southern California used to listen to Fox News pretty much non-stop. The Venezuelan Communists, according to Fox, were planning to invade the USA, he warned me. Hordes of savage Venezuelans were about to ravage the lovely coast of Southern California.
Was this before Al-Qaeda, the Islamic State, Taliban, and the wicked Iranians sacked California, I asked him? America’s enemies are everywhere, according to the alarmist far right. Today’s rightwing worrywarts are the children of the ‘reds under our beds’ crowd of the 1950’s.
But Venezuela? It’s a military pipsqueak and has barely enough money to feed itself. This nation is rich by nature but poor by government.
Venezuela does have one of the world’s largest reserves of heavy oil which needs specialized refineries to process. In happier days, Venezuela served as a basic oil supplier for US industry. But then the Venezuelans, led by their colorful Castro-inspired strongman, Hugo Chavez, came up with the heretical idea that the massive oil profits should be equally shared between Americans and Venezuelans.
Washington was outraged and damned Chavez a communist. Chavez loved being demonized by the Yankees and kept goading Washington rather like Libya’s bad boy, Muammar Gaddafi.
The Trump administration needed foreign enemies to excite its conservative base at home. There was not much the White House could do about inflation, so the war drums began beating over Venezuela. Cuba was too demolished to be seen as a threat so Venezuela, which few Republicans could find on a map, was picked as a new ‘Little Satan.’
So, a massive US armada was sent to cruise off Venezuela’s coast. Air strikes and land incursions are being threatened. Many Americans love to see countries of brown-skinned people beaten up by US military power. It’s a replay of the 19th Century’ s ‘gunboat diplomacy.’ America is very good at it.
The problem is that such bullying interventions sometimes turn messy. Yes, the US could vaporize Venezuela’s tiny navy and air force and demolish their bases, but the danger comes if US troops are forced to enter Venezuela and get involved in a ragged guerilla war. This is how ‘forever wars’ begin. The Trump regime is clearly hoping the Maduro government will be overthrown by a Washington-backed coup. What if it goes wrong? Or if Venezuelans really start to resist the invaders? This is what the national hero Simón Bolívar would have urged. There is a large statue of ‘the Liberator’ at 59th and Central Park South in my native New York.
It’s curious to watch Trump jet around and try to collect support for his much-desired peacemaker award while trying to provoke war with a Latin American nation. Will Cuba be his next target?
Copyright Eric S. Margolis 2025
Well Eric, from my perspective Jan 6 2025, Trump is carrying out his instructions from the Isreali lead Military Industrial Complex that controls the US and its abject vassals. Venezuela has been attacked, it’s leader kidnapped (but your not allowed to use that word), all of Latin America has been put on notice and threatened not to deal with America’s/Isreals enemies and fall in line or else. This is what Trump and Bibi want to achieve before Trump leaves in 28 to control the entire entertainment industry. Take over and vassalize Latin America, annex Greenland as a US protecterate, and for the coup de grace, make Canada a 51st state. Greenland and Canada will be administrative takeovers, but some Latin American countries may yet be recalcitrant. Note that aside from a few plaintive cries, not ONE other country will pull a hair. However Russia, China, Israel, and other countries will take this as a green light to do whatever they want. In a world where might is right!!
P.S.-
And boy is a PS needed !!! Since last posting Trump has had his special forces swoop in and scoop up Maduro like a common criminal and set him up for trial. The whole affair has an air of recklessness and irresponsibility about it that might blow up in America’s face.
As for Trump’s real motives in all this, there are sinister suggestions that it is not about drug trafficking or Democracy but rather access to Venezuelan crude by American Big Oil. If this turns out to be the case, score another point for Smedley Butler and his War is a Racket thesis.
Today America invaded and kidnapped Maduro. and our war industry owned media is singing Trump’s praises.
I am certain that if Russia abducted Howdy Doodskyy, champaign corks would be flying in the boardrooms of our war industry owned media because it would give America the excuse it needs to start all out war with Russia and the profits of the American war industry would flow freely.
Sure there would be minor issues like the world would be destroyed, but think of the profits for the war industry.
If Trump moves against Venezuela he will be embarking on a foolish and pointless exercise that will only make global conditions worse, not just the state of South America. Such blundering bullying with cost him credibility in the World’s eyes if he ever has to oppose the aggressions of Putin or Xi.
War is Uncle Sam’s red-white-and-blue peppermint stick lollipop. And it’s a magic lollipop. The more people suck on it the bigger it gets and the longer it lasts. And Uncle Sam wants YOU to suck on it.
Excellent commentary! It has been rumored that Vladimir Putin has made a serious threat against Trump, if the latter orders the military invasion of Venezuela. I don’t know, of course, if that rumor is true, but it is plausible. Remember when the US Air Force was ready to go into Iran and bomb its military bases, back in June 2019? Then the attack was called off suddenly, with Trump saying that he was concerned about possible civilian casualties. Did you believe Trump’s excuse? I certainly didn’t. I strongly believe to this day that Vladimir Putin made a serious threat against Trump via a diplomatic note conveyed to him via Russia’s Ambassador in Washington. Maybe that’s what Putin has done more recently in respect of the planned invasion of Venezuela. In that case, Putin has done something constructive, for a change, just like I believe he did to head off the US’s planned bombing of Iran in June 2019.
There has just been some recent news. Russia and Iran have just seized a couple of British tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.
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This could be another reason for the US wanting to seize Venezuela. The strait is a real bottleneck that can have a serious impact on the availability of fossil fuels.
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Having the oil from Venezuela will likely solve a lot of problems with the supply of fossil fuels around the world by the United States. I just realised this.
At least Genocide Don is truthful, for once…
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https://www.geopoliticaleconomy.report/p/trump-take-venezuela-oil-us-corporations?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email#media-15a4b5c3-4713-4e09-b479-454b136bc914
“But Venezuela? It’s a military pipsqueak and has barely enough money to feed itself. This nation is rich by nature but poor by government.”
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This was largely caused by American sanctions. It could have done better if it weren’t for Chavez’s untimely death.
…Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Yemen.
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The US is not doing very well. You can add Venezuela to the list.