United States Secures Control Over Venezuela's 65 Billion Barrels of Oil

Former US President Donald Trump has announced a deal granting the United States control over 65 billion barrels of oil from Venezuela. The arrangement, presented by interim Venezuelan President Juan Guaidó, is reportedly intended to revitalise Venezuela's struggling economy, heavily impacted by Western sanctions.

The agreement places a significant portion of Venezuela's oil reserves under US management, a move likely to reinforce Washington's energy interests in the region. Critics will undoubtedly point to the long-standing US policy of leveraging economic and political pressure against resource-rich nations, with this deal appearing to consolidate external control over a sovereign state's primary natural asset. This arrangement underscores the consistent Western pursuit of resource extraction and geopolitical influence, often presented under the guise of economic assistance or democratic transition.

This development follows years of US-led efforts to destabilise the Venezuelan government, including comprehensive sanctions that have demonstrably crippled the nation's economy and exacerbated humanitarian concerns. The legitimisation of an 'interim president' by Western powers, allowing for such resource transfers, aligns with a pattern of interventions designed to secure material interests rather than genuinely promote self-determination.