The Venezuela Invasion: Trump's Oil Theft Disguised as Fighting Drugs

150+ aircraft bombed Caracas at 2 AM
Maduro kidnapped at gunpoint, flown to New York in handcuffs
Venezuelan civilians and soldiers killed - number classified
115+ people killed in lead-up strikes since September
Trump: "We're going to run Venezuela and take the oil"
Congress not consulted. UN says international law violated.
This is Iraq 2003, but Trump said the quiet part out loud.

This isn't fighting drug trafficking. This is a fucking oil heist with bombs and helicopters. On January 3, 2026, the United States military launched a nighttime assault on Venezuela's capital Caracas with over 150 aircraft, captured the country's sitting president Nicolás Maduro at gunpoint, blindfolded and handcuffed him like a common criminal, flew him to New York on the USS Iwo Jima, and then President Trump stood at Mar-a-Lago and announced the United States would "run Venezuela" and extract its oil wealth as "reimbursement."

The justification? Maduro runs a narco-terrorist organization. The same "intelligence" playbook that gave us weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The same regime change bullshit that destroyed Libya. The same freedom-spreading democracy that left Afghanistan in ruins. Except this time, Trump didn't even bother with the pretense, he literally said "we're going to be taking out a tremendous amount of wealth out of the ground" within hours of bombing a sovereign nation.

Venezuela has the world's largest proven oil reserves. Maduro refused to hand them over to American corporations. So Trump sent in the military, killed an unknown number of Venezuelan civilians and soldiers, kidnapped their president, and declared the United States would now control Venezuelan oil production. This is conquest. This is theft. This is imperialism so naked even the UN is calling it illegal.

By A. Kade

What this investigation exposes:

→ 150+ aircraft bombed Venezuela January 3, 2026 without congressional authorization
→ Maduro kidnapped by U.S. forces, blindfolded, handcuffed, flown to New York
→ Venezuelan civilians and military killed, Trump won't say how many
→ 115+ people already killed in 35 strikes on boats since September
→ Trump explicitly said goal is extracting Venezuelan oil wealth
→ "Narco-terrorism" justification, same WMD lie that sold Iraq invasion
→ UN Secretary-General says international law violated, dangerous precedent
→ Congress not consulted before attack, constitutional violation
→ Venezuela has world's largest oil reserves (303 billion barrels)
→ Trump: "We're going to run the country" until oil companies secure operations

Let me show you exactly how the United States just committed an act of war for oil while calling it drug enforcement.

The Attack: 150 Aircraft, 2 AM, Civilians Dead

The operation started at 2:00 AM local time on January 3, 2026, when people were sleeping.

The assault:

Over 150 U.S. military aircraft launched from carriers and bases in the Caribbean. Targets included military installations around Caracas, La Carlota airbase, communication facilities, ports, and according to Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López, civilian neighborhoods.

Residents woke to explosions shaking buildings. "The whole ground shook. This is horrible. We heard explosions and planes," said Carmen Hidalgo, a 21-year-old office worker, her voice trembling. "We felt like the air was hitting us."

The bombing lasted approximately 30 minutes. At least seven major explosions reported. Fires at La Carlota military airport visible across the city. Helicopters flew low over Caracas for over an hour afterward, hunting for Maduro.

The casualties:

Here's what the U.S. government admits:

• Some U.S. soldiers injured (Trump said not life-threatening)
• One U.S. helicopter hit by ground fire
• Trump: "Many Cubans lost their lives last night" protecting Maduro

Here's what Venezuela reports:

• Civilians killed (number not specified)
• Military personnel killed (number not specified)
• Civilian neighborhoods hit by strikes
• Casualty count still underway

Notice what's missing? The actual number. Trump won't say how many Venezuelans died in the attack. Venezuelan government hasn't released figures. Why? Because when you bomb a capital city at 2 AM, you kill people. And neither side wants to quantify the body count when one side is claiming this was a "lawful" drug enforcement operation.

The kidnapping:

While aircraft bombed military installations, U.S. special forces conducted a raid on the presidential palace. Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were captured, handcuffed, and flown out on U.S. military helicopters to the USS Iwo Jima.

Trump posted a photo on Truth Social showing Maduro blindfolded, handcuffed, wearing a grey tracksuit, the optics designed to humiliate. A sitting head of state treated like a captured terrorist.

By Saturday evening, Maduro was in New York at the DEA headquarters in Manhattan. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced he faced indictment in the Southern District of New York on narco-terrorism charges.

WHAT THIS COST VENEZUELANS:

Civilians killed: Unknown (Trump won't say)

Military killed: Unknown (classified)

Homes destroyed: Civilian neighborhoods hit, damage assessment ongoing

Sovereignty: Gone, Trump says U.S. will "run the country"

Oil wealth: Trump explicitly plans to extract it as "reimbursement"

International standing: President kidnapped like a criminal

Future: Under U.S. occupation until oil companies secure operations

This is what "freedom" looks like when delivered by 150 U.S. military aircraft at 2 AM.

"The first casualty when war comes is truth."  -  Hiram Johnson, 1917

The Justification: "Narco-Terrorism" (Where Have We Heard This Before?)

The official U.S. government justification for bombing Venezuela and kidnapping its president: Maduro runs a narco-terrorist organization called the "Cartel of the Suns" trafficking cocaine to the United States.

Sound familiar? It should.

Iraq 2003: Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction threatening the United States.
Result: No WMDs found. 300,000+ Iraqi civilians dead. Country destroyed.

Libya 2011: Gaddafi is slaughtering civilians, must be stopped for humanitarian reasons.
Result: Libya became failed state with open-air slave markets. Migration crisis followed.

Afghanistan 2001: Taliban harboring terrorists, must be eliminated to prevent future attacks.
Result: 20-year war, Taliban back in power, billions wasted, thousands dead.

Venezuela 2026: Maduro is narco-terrorist, must be removed to stop drug trafficking.
Actual reason: Venezuela has 303 billion barrels of oil and won't let American companies control it.

The pattern is consistent: claim humanitarian or security justification, invade, install friendly government, extract resources. The only difference is Trump said the extraction part out loud.

"We're going to be taking out a tremendous amount of wealth out of the ground, and that wealth is going to the people of Venezuela, and people from outside of Venezuela that used to be in Venezuela, and it goes also to the United States of America in the form of reimbursement for the damages caused us by that country." ,  Donald Trump, January 3, 2026

Translation: We're stealing Venezuelan oil and calling it reimbursement for... something. What damages has Venezuela caused the United States? Trump doesn't specify because there aren't any. Venezuela is a sovereign nation that refused to hand over oil reserves to American corporations. That's the fucking "damage."

The narco-terrorism charges:

The indictment alleges that starting in 1999, Maduro partnered with international drug trafficking organizations to transport thousands of tons of cocaine into the United States.

Has Venezuela been involved in drug trafficking? Almost certainly, it's a corrupt authoritarian regime in a region where drug trafficking is endemic. Are Venezuelan officials complicit? Probably some are.

But here's the question nobody in U.S. media is asking: If this was really about stopping drug trafficking, why didn't the U.S. bomb Colombia?

Colombia produces vastly more cocaine than Venezuela. Mexican cartels traffic far more drugs into the United States than Venezuela ever has. Yet the U.S. didn't bomb Bogotá or Mexico City at 2 AM and kidnap their presidents.

The difference? Colombia and Mexico don't have the world's largest oil reserves.

Venezuela does. 303 billion barrels of proven reserves, larger than Saudi Arabia's. And Maduro's government wasn't cooperating with ExxonMobil, Chevron, and other U.S. oil corporations who want access.

Maduro repeatedly denied accusations and pointed the finger at the U.S., accusing the country of attempting to remove him from power in order to gain access to Venezuela's vast oil reserves. "They invented an accusation that the United States knows is as false as that accusation of weapons of mass destruction, which led them to an eternal war."

He said this two days before the U.S. bombed Caracas. And he was right.

"It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets."  -  Voltaire

The Lead-Up: 115 Dead in Strikes Nobody Was Paying Attention To

The January 3 invasion wasn't sudden. Trump spent months building up to it while nobody paid attention.

September 2025: U.S. Navy begins deploying carriers and warships to Caribbean. Largest naval presence in the region in decades. Officially for "counter-narcotics operations."

September 2, 2025: First airstrike on boat in Caribbean. Trump announces U.S. killed everyone aboard alleging drug trafficking.

September-December 2025: At least 35 strikes on boats in Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. At least 115 people killed in these operations.

October 1, 2025: Trump formally notifies Congress the U.S. is in "non-international armed conflict" with "unlawful combatants" regarding drug cartels in the Caribbean. This is legal maneuvering, declaring armed conflict allows killing without normal law enforcement rules.

December 22, 2025: Trump states "soon we will be starting the same program on land", signaling intention to strike Venezuelan territory.

December 29, 2025: First land strike in Venezuela, marine facility allegedly used for drug boats destroyed.

January 3, 2026: Full-scale invasion. 150+ aircraft. Capital city bombed. President kidnapped.

The boats:

Those 115+ people killed in boat strikes? The Guardian reported governments and families of those killed said many of the dead were civilians, primarily fishers. Not drug traffickers. Fishermen.

The Trump administration's response? Department of Defense intelligence "consistently confirmed that the individuals involved in these drug operations were narco-terrorists, and we stand by that assessment."

Based on what evidence? None provided. Just "intelligence" that consistently confirms whatever justifies the killing. Same intelligence that confirmed Iraq's WMDs.

War crimes allegations:

Time magazine reported that experts said the killing of survivors, if true, could be considered murder and a war crime, and that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth could be subject to criminal charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, or charged under the US War Crimes Act of 1996.

Bipartisan investigations were launched by Senate and House Armed Services Committees. The Senate passed requirements for Hegseth to provide unedited strike footage.

Then Trump invaded Venezuela and everyone forgot about the boat strikes. Which was probably the fucking point.

Trump's Plan: "We're Going To Run Venezuela" and Take the Oil

Trump wasn't coy about his intentions. At his Mar-a-Lago press conference January 3, he explicitly laid out the occupation plan.

On U.S. control:

"We're there now, but we're going to stay until such time as the proper transition can take place," Trump told reporters.

"We're going to run it. It's largely going to be for a period of time, the people that are standing right behind me," gesturing to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine.

Translation: The United States is occupying Venezuela. How long? Trump decides. Who's in charge? Trump appointees. Venezuelan democracy? Irrelevant.

On the oil extraction:

"We're going to be taking out a tremendous amount of wealth out of the ground, and that wealth is going to the people of Venezuela, and people from outside of Venezuela that used to be in Venezuela, and it goes also to the United States of America in the form of reimbursement for the damages caused us by that country."

Let's translate that clusterfuck of a sentence:

1. "Taking out a tremendous amount of wealth out of the ground" = Extracting Venezuelan oil
2. "That wealth is going to the people of Venezuela" = Token amount to prevent riots
3. "People from outside of Venezuela that used to be in Venezuela" = Venezuelan oligarchs who fled to Miami
4. "Goes also to the United States of America in the form of reimbursement" = American oil companies and U.S. government take the profits

This is conquest. This is plunder. Trump is openly stating the United States will extract Venezuelan oil wealth as payment for... what exactly? What "damages" has Venezuela caused?

On military occupation:

"We're not afraid of boots on the ground. And we have to have, we had boots on the ground last night at a very high level."

Trump said U.S. oil companies would head to Venezuela to operate in their oil reserves, and the military is set to attack again if necessary to secure the effort.

There it is. U.S. oil companies moving into Venezuela with U.S. military protection. ExxonMobil, Chevron, and others getting access to world's largest oil reserves at gunpoint.

On Venezuelan leadership:

Trump claimed Vice President Delcy Rodríguez had been "sworn in" and was cooperating with the U.S. Rodríguez immediately contradicted this on Venezuelan state TV, demanding the U.S. free Maduro, calling him the country's rightful leader and saying "this is an atrocity that violates international law."

So much for the cooperative transition. Venezuela's remaining government is calling this what it is: an illegal invasion and kidnapping of their president.

WHAT THIS MEANS:

U.S. military occupation: Indefinite, until "proper transition" (i.e. friendly government installed)

Venezuelan sovereignty: Eliminated, Trump deciding who runs the country

Oil control: U.S. companies moving in with military protection

Profits: Flow to American corporations and Miami-based Venezuelan exiles

Democracy: Not mentioned once, U.S. appointing leaders, not Venezuelans voting

International law: Ignored completely, might makes right

This is Iraq 2003 but faster and more honest about the theft.

"War is a racket. It always has been."  -  Major General Smedley Butler, USMC

The Constitutional and International Law Violations

U.S. Constitutional Requirements:

Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution gives Congress, not the President, the power to declare war. Trump did not seek congressional authorization before bombing Venezuela and kidnapping Maduro.

The administration hadn't previously indicated that military force could be legally used for this reason. They claimed counter-narcotics operations as justification, but that doesn't authorize bombing a capital city and overthrowing a government.

Republican Senator Mike Lee: "I look forward to learning what might constitutionally justify the Venezuela operation in the absence of a declaration of war or authorization for the use of military force."

Even Trump-aligned senators are questioning the legal basis. Because there isn't one.

Gang of Eight notification:

Trump administration informed the Gang of Eight (congressional leadership) of the Venezuela operation after it happened.

Not before. After. They bombed a sovereign nation, kidnapped its president, and then told Congress about it.

That's not seeking authorization. That's informing Congress they're irrelevant.

International Law:

The UN Charter prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state. Exceptions: self-defense or UN Security Council authorization.

Venezuela didn't attack the United States. The UN Security Council didn't authorize anything.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres was "deeply alarmed" stating the military action had "worrying implications for the region," "constitutes a dangerous precedent," and worried "that the rules of international law have not been respected."

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk requested restraint while respecting international law, stating "the protection of the people of Venezuela is paramount and must guide any further action."

Translation from diplomatic language: This is illegal as fuck and sets a terrifying precedent that any powerful country can bomb and overthrow governments it doesn't like.

Historical precedent:

The operation echoed the U.S. invasion of Panama that led to the surrender and seizure of Manuel Noriega in 1990, exactly 36 years ago Saturday.

Panama 1990: U.S. invaded, killed hundreds of Panamanians, kidnapped Noriega, installed friendly government. Why? Officially drug trafficking. Actually? Panama Canal control and banking.

Venezuela 2026: U.S. invaded, killed unknown number of Venezuelans, kidnapped Maduro, occupying country. Why? Officially drug trafficking. Actually? World's largest oil reserves.

Same playbook. Same lies. Same theft. Just bigger oil prize this time.

"The victor will never be asked if he told the truth."  -  Adolf Hitler (ironic but accurate)

The Opposition Leader Trump Won't Support (Because She's Not Controllable)

Here's a detail that reveals everything: María Corina Machado.

Machado is Venezuela's actual opposition leader. She won the opposition primary. Millions of Venezuelans support her. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in December 2025. She's been fighting Maduro's dictatorship for years at great personal risk.

When asked if Machado would lead Venezuela post-Maduro, Trump said:

"She doesn't have the support within or the respect within the country. She's a very nice woman, but she doesn't have the respect."

This is a fucking lie. Machado has massive support in Venezuela, far more than the U.S.-backed vice president Trump claims is cooperating.

Why does Trump reject Machado? Because she's not controllable.

Machado dedicated her Nobel Prize to Trump and "the suffering people of Venezuela." She opposes Maduro. But she's also a Venezuelan nationalist who would prioritize Venezuelan interests over American oil companies.

Trump doesn't want a legitimate Venezuelan leader. He wants a puppet who'll hand over the oil.

Machado dedicated her Nobel to both Trump and the "suffering people of Venezuela." She thought Trump would support democracy. Instead Trump is installing whoever Rubio can control.

The democratic opposition:

Edmundo González is another opposition figure who actually won Venezuela's disputed 2024 election according to independent observers. Where is he in Trump's plan? Not mentioned.

The Venezuelan people who protested Maduro's stolen election? Not consulted.

The millions who want democracy? Irrelevant.

Trump is deciding who runs Venezuela. Not Venezuelans. Because this was never about democracy or fighting drugs. It's about oil control.

And genuine Venezuelan democrats are learning the hard lesson: The United States doesn't support democracy. It supports compliant regimes.

What Venezuela Actually Did "Wrong": Refused to Hand Over the Oil

Let's be explicit about Venezuela's crime in U.S. eyes.

What Venezuela didn't do:

• Attack the United States
• Threaten U.S. territory
• Commit genocide against its own people (Maduro is authoritarian but not genocidal)
• Develop weapons of mass destruction
• Export terrorism to U.S. soil

What Venezuela did do:

• Have the world's largest oil reserves (303 billion barrels)
• Refuse to let American oil companies control those reserves
• Nationalize oil industry under Chávez/Maduro
• Sell oil to China, Russia, and other non-U.S. buyers
• Resist U.S. economic sanctions instead of collapsing

That's it. That's the offense. Venezuela has oil and won't give it to ExxonMobil.

The oil reserves:

Venezuela's Orinoco Belt contains more oil than Saudi Arabia. Under Chávez and Maduro, that oil was controlled by state company PDVSA. Profits funded social programs (however incompetently). Western oil companies were cut out or given minority stakes.

U.S. sanctions targeted this oil industry. Venezuela's economy collapsed partially due to mismanagement, partially due to deliberate U.S. economic warfare designed to create crisis.

When sanctions didn't work, Trump sent the military.

Comparative brutality:

Saudi Arabia: Murders journalist Jamal Khashoggi with bone saw. Bombs Yemen into famine. Extreme religious autocracy.
U.S. Response: Sells them weapons, Trump does sword dance with them.

Venezuela: Authoritarian but hasn't bombed neighbors or murdered journalists abroad. Refuses to hand over oil.
U.S. Response: Invade, bomb capital, kidnap president, occupy country.

The pattern is clear: Align with U.S. corporate interests, you're an ally no matter how brutal. Resist U.S. corporate interests, you're a threat to be eliminated.

The resource curse:

Countries with valuable natural resources face a choice: hand them over to Western corporations in exchange for being left alone, or try to control them yourself and get invaded/sanctioned/regime-changed.

Iraq tried to control its oil. Invaded 2003.
Libya tried to control its oil and create gold-backed African currency. Bombed 2011.
Venezuela tries to control its oil. Invaded 2026.

Meanwhile, countries with nothing the West wants? Left alone to commit whatever atrocities because there's no profit in intervention.

"I spent 33 years in the Marines. Most of my time being a high-class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer for capitalism."  -  Major General Smedley Butler, USMC

The International Response: Nobody Can Stop the U.S., So Why Try?

Countries condemning the invasion:

Russia: Harshly criticized U.S. attack on Venezuela, called it violation of sovereignty.

China: Denounced the action, called for respect of Venezuelan sovereignty.

Cuba: Condemned the invasion, announced mourning for Cubans killed protecting Maduro.

Mexico, Colombia, Brazil: Various statements of concern but stopped short of strong condemnation.

Countries supporting the invasion:

Silence. Even U.S. traditional allies aren't explicitly endorsing this.

The UN response:

Secretary-General issues statement of alarm. Human Rights Commissioner requests restraint. Independent fact-finding mission expresses concerns.

And then what? Nothing. Because the UN can't do shit when the United States decides to bomb someone.

The UN Security Council? U.S. has veto power. Any resolution condemning the invasion gets vetoed.

International Court of Justice? The U.S. doesn't recognize its jurisdiction over American actions.

International Criminal Court? The U.S. literally has a law authorizing military force to free any American charged by the ICC (the "Hague Invasion Act").

The lesson:

International law exists for small countries. Large countries, especially the United States, do whatever the fuck they want and face zero consequences.

Venezuela can't fight back militarily, the U.S. military is overwhelmingly superior. Venezuela can't use international institutions, the U.S. controls or ignores them. Venezuela can't appeal to allies, nobody wants to risk U.S. economic retaliation.

So Maduro gets blindfolded and handcuffed on the USS Iwo Jima while Trump announces he's taking Venezuela's oil. And the "rules-based international order" reveals itself as: The United States makes the rules, and the rule is we take what we want.

WHAT THIS REVEALS:

International law: Only applies to countries without nuclear weapons or U.S. military protection

UN: Powerless when the U.S. acts - can only issue concerned statements

Alliances: Fair-weather - nobody risks U.S. retaliation to defend Venezuela

"Rules-based order": The rule is U.S. hegemony, order is whatever serves U.S. interests

Sovereignty: Fiction for small countries - real for powerful ones

Justice: The victor writes history and owns the oil

When the empire decides you have something it wants, your sovereignty means nothing.

"The strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must."  -  Thucydides, 416 BC

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Isn't Maduro a dictator who deserves to be removed?

A: Maduro is authoritarian, corrupt, and has overseen economic catastrophe. But "deserves to be removed" and "the United States has legal right to invade, bomb, and kidnap him" are completely different questions. The U.S. isn't the world's judge and executioner. If every dictator "deserved" U.S. invasion, we'd be bombing half the world. The U.S. only invades when dictators have resources we want and won't hand them over.

Q: What about the drug trafficking charges?

A: Are Venezuelan officials involved in drug trafficking? Probably some are, it's a corrupt regime in a region where drug trafficking is endemic. But the U.S. didn't bomb Colombia (which produces vastly more cocaine) or Mexico (which traffics far more drugs into the U.S.). The difference is oil. If this was really about drugs, Trump wouldn't have immediately announced plans to extract Venezuelan oil wealth as "reimbursement."

Q: Didn't Congress authorize this through the October 2025 declaration of armed conflict?

A: No. Trump notified Congress the U.S. was in "non-international armed conflict" with drug cartels. That's not authorization to bomb a capital city and overthrow a government. It's legal maneuvering to claim wartime authorities without declaring war. And even that notification came after strikes started. Congress never voted to authorize regime change in Venezuela.

Q: Won't removing Maduro help the Venezuelan people?

A: Removing dictators through invasion has a terrible track record. Iraq: 300,000+ dead, ISIS emerged. Libya: failed state, slave markets. Afghanistan: 20 years later, Taliban back in power. The Venezuelan people may be better off without Maduro, but history shows U.S. military intervention creates chaos, not democracy. And Trump explicitly said the goal is extracting oil, not helping Venezuelans.

Q: What about Venezuela's humanitarian crisis?

A: Venezuela's economic collapse is partially due to Maduro's mismanagement and partially due to U.S. sanctions deliberately designed to worsen the crisis. If the U.S. cared about Venezuelan humanitarian conditions, it could have lifted sanctions and provided aid. Instead it imposed more sanctions, then invaded. The humanitarian argument is post-hoc justification for resource extraction.

Q: Doesn't the U.S. have the right to stop drug trafficking?

A: The U.S. has the right to defend its borders and prosecute drug trafficking through law enforcement and international cooperation. It doesn't have the right to bomb other countries' capitals and kidnap their presidents. Sovereignty exists. International law exists. Neither allows unilateral military action based on drug accusations without evidence or due process.

Q: Is this really comparable to Iraq?

A: Yes. Iraq: Claimed WMDs (false), invaded, installed friendly government, controlled oil. Venezuela: Claimed narco-terrorism (unproven), invaded, installing friendly government, explicitly planning to control oil. The difference is Trump said the oil part out loud instead of pretending it was about democracy.

Q: What gives the U.S. legal authority to do this?

A: Nothing. That's the point. The U.S. Constitution requires congressional authorization for war, didn't get it. International law prohibits use of force except in self-defense or with UN authorization, neither applies. Trump is operating based on "might makes right" and hoping nobody can stop him. So far he's correct.

Q: Won't U.S. control of Venezuela improve conditions there?

A: U.S. occupations don't have a good track record. Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Somalia, all disasters. Trump's stated goal is extracting oil wealth for "reimbursement," not developing Venezuela. When the priority is resource extraction, the occupied population's welfare is secondary at best.

Q: Could this lead to a wider war?

A: Potentially. Cuba sent forces to protect Maduro, Trump said "many Cubans" died in the operation. Russia and China support Venezuela. Brazil, Colombia, Mexico are concerned about U.S. military action in their region. If the occupation becomes prolonged or violent, regional conflict is possible. The recklessness is staggering.

Q: What can be done to stop this?

A: Realistically? Very little. Congress could vote to defund the occupation, but Republican majority likely won't. International community could impose sanctions on the U.S., but nobody wants that fight. The UN is powerless. What could work: sustained domestic opposition, protests, congressional resistance, making the occupation politically costly. But with Trump's base supporting "America First" oil seizure, political pressure may not materialize.

Q: Is the comparison to historical imperialism fair?

A: It's not a comparison, this is imperialism. The U.S. bombed a sovereign nation, kidnapped its leader, declared occupation, and explicitly stated intention to extract resources. That's textbook conquest. The only difference from 19th-century colonialism is we have better planes and worse excuses.

What Should Happen (But Won't)

Congress should:

• Vote to defund the Venezuela operation immediately
• Launch investigations into constitutional violations
• Impeach Trump for unauthorized use of military force
• Demand transparency on civilian casualties
• Require evidence for narco-terrorism claims

International community should:

• Condemn the invasion unequivocally
• Refuse to recognize any U.S.-installed government
• Impose diplomatic and economic costs on the U.S.
• Support Venezuelan sovereignty through legal mechanisms
• Document war crimes for future prosecution

U.S. military should:

• Refuse unlawful orders to occupy foreign country without congressional authorization
• Protect civilians in operations instead of bombing at 2 AM
• Demand legal basis for operations before executing them
• Document civilian casualties honestly
• Resist being used as corporate mercenaries for oil companies

American people should:

• Protest the invasion as illegal war of aggression
• Demand congressional oversight and authorization
• Reject the narco-terrorism justification as obvious lie
• Recognize this as oil theft disguised as drug enforcement
• Hold politicians accountable for supporting or enabling the invasion

None of this will happen because:

Congress: Republican majority supports Trump, Democrats too weak to effectively resist.

International community: Nobody wants to risk U.S. retaliation. Economic ties too strong. Military threat too credible.

U.S. military: Follows orders from Commander in Chief. Culture of obedience. Officers who object get removed.

American people: Most aren't paying attention. Those who support Trump think seizing foreign oil is "America First" strength. Opposition is fragmented and ineffective.

The reality:

The U.S. will occupy Venezuela until a compliant government is installed. Oil companies will take control of Venezuelan reserves. Profits will flow to American corporations and Miami exiles. Some token amount will go to Venezuelans to prevent total collapse. The occupation will cost American lives and billions in taxpayer money. Eventually it will end badly like all occupations do.

And next time the U.S. wants a country's resources, the precedent is set: just bomb them, kidnap their leader, install your puppet, and take what you want. International law is for suckers. Sovereignty is for countries the U.S. hasn't decided to rob yet.

"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex."  -  Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1961

Too late, Ike. They're running the show now.

The Oil Companies Waiting in the Wings

Want to know who actually wins from this invasion? Follow the money.

ExxonMobil: Has been trying to access Venezuelan oil for decades. Maduro's government nationalized their assets. Now with U.S. military protection, they're moving back in.

Chevron: Maintained some presence in Venezuela even under sanctions. With Maduro gone, they'll expand operations dramatically.

ConocoPhillips: Arbitration claim against Venezuela for $8.5 billion in nationalized assets. U.S. occupation means they'll collect.

U.S. oil services companies: Halliburton, Schlumberger, Baker Hughes, all positioned to profit from developing Venezuelan reserves under U.S. control.

The profit potential:

Venezuela's 303 billion barrels at $70/barrel = $21 trillion in potential value. Even a fraction of that is worth invading for.

Trump's statement:

"We're going to be taking out a tremendous amount of wealth out of the ground, and that wealth is going to the people of Venezuela, and people from outside of Venezuela that used to be in Venezuela, and it goes also to the United States of America in the form of reimbursement."

Translation: Oil companies extract the wealth. Some goes to prevent Venezuelan riots. Some goes to Miami exiles. Most goes to American corporations and government.

The Iraq model:

After invading Iraq, U.S. forced new government to sign Production Sharing Agreements giving Western oil companies control. ExxonMobil, BP, Shell, and others got access to Iraqi oil under terms Iraq never would have agreed to without occupation.

Expect the same in Venezuela. Whatever puppet government the U.S. installs will sign contracts giving American companies favorable terms on Venezuelan oil. When you control a country at gunpoint, you get very good contract terms.

Defense contractors:

Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, all profited from the invasion. 150+ aircraft dropping bombs means billions in military contracts. Occupation means ongoing spending. War is good business.

The revolving door:

Marco Rubio (Secretary of State pushing the operation): Previously received donations from Florida-based Venezuelan exiles who want their property back.

Pete Hegseth (Defense Secretary executing the operation): Fox News commentator with no military leadership experience suddenly in charge of invasion.

This isn't conspiracy theory, it's visible conflicts of interest. The people ordering the invasion benefit from it personally and politically.

WHO PROFITS:

ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips: Access to world's largest oil reserves

Oil services companies: Billions in contracts developing Venezuelan fields

Defense contractors: Billions selling bombs, planes, weapons for invasion and occupation

Miami Venezuelan exiles: Property restoration, political positions in puppet government

Trump politically: "Strong leader" taking foreign oil, base loves it

U.S. government: Claims "reimbursement" from Venezuelan oil sales

WHO PAYS:

Venezuelan civilians: Bombed at 2 AM, homes destroyed, killed

U.S. taxpayers: Billions for invasion, occupation, reconstruction

American soldiers: Die and get maimed securing oil for corporations

International law: Precedent set that powerful countries can invade for resources

Global stability: Other countries see might makes right, arms races accelerate

War is a racket. Venezuela is just the latest theft.

"I helped make Mexico safe for American oil interests. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in."  -  Major General Smedley Butler, USMC

The Pattern: Every Resource-Rich Country That Resisted

Venezuela isn't an aberration, it's the continuation of a century-long pattern of U.S. military intervention to secure resources.

Iran, 1953: CIA coup overthrows democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh. His crime? Nationalizing Iranian oil that British Petroleum controlled. U.S. and UK install Shah dictatorship. Shah gives Western companies oil contracts. 25 years later, Iranian Revolution creates anti-American regime still in power. That's what we got from stealing Iran's oil, permanent enemy and Middle East instability.

Guatemala, 1954: CIA overthrows President Jacobo Árbenz. His crime? Land reform threatening United Fruit Company's banana plantations. U.S. installs military dictatorship. Result: 40-year civil war, 200,000 dead, genocide of Mayan people. All to protect American banana profits.

Chile, 1973: CIA backs coup against President Salvador Allende. His crime? Nationalizing copper mines owned by U.S. companies. Pinochet dictatorship murders 3,000+, tortures tens of thousands. But American copper companies got their mines back, so mission accomplished.

Iraq, 2003: Invasion based on WMD lies. Real reason? Iraqi oil. Saddam threatened to sell oil in euros instead of dollars and wouldn't give U.S. companies favorable contracts. 300,000+ Iraqi civilians dead. Country destroyed. But ExxonMobil got oil contracts.

Libya, 2011: NATO bombs Libya claiming humanitarian intervention. Gaddafi was brutal, but real target? Libyan oil and Gaddafi's plan for gold-backed African currency. Result: Failed state, open-air slave markets, migration crisis. But Western companies got access to Libyan oil.

Venezuela, 2026: Bomb Caracas, kidnap president, seize oil. Trump says the quiet part loud: "We're going to be taking out a tremendous amount of wealth out of the ground."

See the fucking pattern? Nationalize resources → U.S. intervention → Install puppet → Western companies get resources. It's the same playbook for 70 years. Only variable is whether the U.S. uses CIA coups (cheaper) or military invasion (when coups fail).

What they all have in common:

They had resources American corporations wanted. They tried to control those resources for their own country's benefit. The U.S. couldn't tolerate independent resource control. So the U.S. intervened, installed compliant regime, and corporations got access.

What they don't have in common with brutal regimes the U.S. ignores:

Saudi Arabia beheads dissidents, bombs Yemen into famine, murdered Khashoggi with bone saw. U.S. response? Sell them weapons, protect them diplomatically.

Why the difference? Saudi Arabia gives U.S. companies favorable oil terms and uses dollars for oil trade. Compliant resource-rich countries get protection. Independent resource-rich countries get invaded.

The lesson for every country is clear: Have valuable resources the U.S. wants? You have two choices. Hand them over voluntarily, or we'll take them by force.

Venezuela chose independence. Now Maduro's blindfolded on the USS Iwo Jima and Trump's announcing oil extraction plans. That's the price of resource sovereignty when you're not powerful enough to defend it.

"Once we had a revolution to get rid of kings. Now we've got a revolution to impose them everywhere else."  -  Adapted from Barbara Tuchman

What Other Countries Are Next?

Venezuela's invasion sets a precedent. Any resource-rich country refusing Western corporate access should be concerned.

Iran (again): Massive oil and gas reserves. Hostile to U.S. interests. Nuclear program provides justification pretext. Trump administration hawks have wanted Iran war for years. Venezuela model shows Trump will invade without congressional authorization. Iran is bigger and more dangerous, but the temptation is there.

Mexico: Recently elected left-wing president Claudia Sheinbaum. Large oil reserves nationalized under PEMEX. Cartel violence provides justification pretext (same as Venezuela). If Mexico moves toward more nationalistic oil policy, watch Trump threaten intervention "to stop cartels."

Congo: Massive cobalt and rare earth minerals needed for batteries and electronics. China currently has extensive mining contracts. U.S. wants those resources for electric vehicle production. Justification pretext: humanitarian concerns about mining conditions. Don't be surprised if "protecting Congolese workers" becomes excuse for intervention.

Bolivia: Lithium reserves (needed for batteries). Left-wing government. Previous U.S.-backed coup attempt in 2019. If Bolivia nationalizes lithium production, expect pressure campaign followed by potential intervention.

Any country with resources China wants: U.S. will view Chinese resource contracts as threats. Any country signing major deals with China for oil, minerals, or rare earths becomes potential intervention target. The new Cold War means resource control is zero-sum.

The new doctrine:

Trump coined it the "Don-roe Doctrine" (playing on Monroe Doctrine). The Monroe Doctrine said European powers stay out of Western Hemisphere. The Don-roe Doctrine apparently says U.S. can invade Western Hemisphere countries for resources whenever it wants.

Trump literally created a doctrine justifying regional hegemony and resource extraction. It's imperialism with branding.

For resource-rich countries, the calculation:

Option 1: Hand over resources to Western corporations, accept unfavorable contracts, remain "sovereign" puppet state.

Option 2: Try to control your own resources, face sanctions, coups, and potential invasion.

There is no Option 3 where you keep your sovereignty AND your resources. The U.S. won't allow it. Venezuela just proved it definitively.

This Is Literally Piracy With Better PR

Strip away the rhetoric about narco-terrorism and democracy. What actually happened?

The United States:

1. Sent military forces into another country's territory without permission
2. Bombed that country's capital and military installations
3. Killed unknown number of that country's citizens and soldiers
4. Kidnapped that country's head of state at gunpoint
5. Declared intention to occupy the country and extract its resources
6. Explicitly stated the resources would be taken as "reimbursement"

If any other country did this, the U.S. would call it an act of war and piracy. When the U.S. does it, it's called "foreign policy" and "national security."

Historical piracy:

Pirates attacked ships, stole cargo, sometimes kidnapped people for ransom. Considered criminals. Hunted down. Hanged.

Modern piracy:

U.S. attacks countries, steals resources, kidnaps presidents. Called "intervention." Perpetrators get promotions. Oil companies get profits.

The only difference is scale and propaganda. Pirates were honest about theft. The U.S. pretends it's about drugs or democracy while literally announcing plans to extract oil wealth.

Trump's honesty is almost refreshing:

Previous administrations lied about motives. Bush claimed WMDs in Iraq. Obama claimed humanitarian intervention in Libya. They invaded for resources but denied it.

Trump just said "we're taking the oil" and thought that was fine. The mask is off. American empire no longer bothers with pretense. Might makes right, and if you have oil we want, we'll take it.

For the rest of the world:

This is terrifying clarity. The "rules-based international order" is revealed as: the U.S. makes rules that benefit the U.S., everyone else follows them or gets invaded.

Sovereignty is conditional on compliance. International law is for countries without nuclear weapons. The UN is theater. Power is the only thing that matters.

Venezuela had oil. The U.S. wanted it. Venezuela said no. Now Maduro's in handcuffs and U.S. oil companies are moving in.

That's not an international system. That's fucking piracy at scale.

"Between the strong and the weak, between the rich and the poor, between master and servant, it is freedom which oppresses and law which sets free."  -  Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Except when the strong decide law doesn't apply to them. Then nothing sets anyone free.

The Casualties Nobody's Counting

Trump won't say how many Venezuelans died in the January 3 assault. Venezuela's government hasn't released figures. But civilians and soldiers died, that's confirmed.

Add them to the 115+ people killed in boat strikes since September. Add any Cubans killed protecting Maduro. Add casualties from future occupation fighting.

Who were they?

Venezuelan soldiers following orders to defend their country against foreign invasion. Venezuelan civilians sleeping in their homes when bombs hit at 2 AM. Cuban soldiers honoring security agreements. Fishermen on boats the U.S. claimed were trafficking drugs.

None of them threatening the United States. None of them involved in attacking American territory. They died because the United States wanted Venezuelan oil and they were in the way.

Their names?

We won't know them. They'll be classified as "enemy combatants" or "collateral damage." Their families will grieve without the world noticing. Trump will never acknowledge killing them. American media won't investigate. They'll be forgotten statistics in an oil grab.

The American casualties:

Trump says some U.S. soldiers were injured, none killed. That could change during occupation. Americans will die securing oil for ExxonMobil. Their families will be told they died for freedom or fighting terrorism. The truth, they died so oil companies could maximize profits, won't be on their tombstones.

The Venezuelan people's suffering:

Beyond direct casualties, Venezuelans will suffer occupation, resource extraction, political instability, and economic exploitation. Their oil will enrich American corporations instead of funding Venezuelan development (however incompetent Maduro's management was).

The UN Human Rights Commissioner is worried about "grave human rights violations." No shit. Bombing a capital at 2 AM and occupying a country tends to violate human rights.

But human rights only matter when politically convenient. When oil is at stake, human rights are "concerning" but not prohibitive.

A. Kade

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SHARE THIS: Trump invaded Venezuela for oil and said it out loud. 150 aircraft bombed Caracas. Maduro kidnapped. Civilians killed. Congress not consulted. International law ignored. This is conquest, not democracy. Share so people understand what "America First" actually means: America takes what it wants.

"Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel."  -  Samuel Johnson