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Posted By Joshua Scheer
In a moment of defiant clarity, Venezuela’s Acting President Delcy Rodríguez addressed the American public directly: “Be aware and do not defend these aggressions over a nuclear power. This is a stain on our shared history.” Her words, delivered amid escalating tensions with Washington, cut through the fog of diplomatic euphemism and laid bare the imperial logic driving U.S. policy toward Venezuela.
Venezuela’s Acting President Delcy Rodríguez:
— Clash Report (@clashreport) January 9, 2026
I speak to the people of the United States. Venezuela did not deserve this aggressive act by a nuclear power. This is a stain on our shared history.
Our response will not be revenge, but vindication—through example. We will show… pic.twitter.com/3yhraOGr0v
This followed remarks by Trump claiming that the United States was receiving “full cooperation” from Venezuela’s government and would effectively control the country—and its vast oil reserves—for years to come. Caracas, he said, was giving Washington “everything that we feel is necessary,” allowing the U.S. to remain a political overlord for an indefinite period.
Responding to those comments, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez rejected Washington’s framing. “We are an energy powerhouse—we truly are,” Rodríguez said. “And it has brought us tremendous problems, because the energy greed of the North covets the resources of our country. We have denounced all the falsehoods about drug trafficking, democracy, and human rights. These were merely excuses. What has always been present is the threat that Venezuela’s oil must be handed over to the global North.”
Venezuela’s Acting President Delcy Rodríguez:
— Clash Report (@clashreport) January 8, 2026
Venezuela is an energy powerhouse, and that reality has brought serious challenges.
Claims about drugs, democracy, and human rights have been used as excuses for one real goal: control of our oil. pic.twitter.com/sQ1ABleGCB
The timing of Rodríguez’s comments was no accident. They followed revelations that Citgo, a U.S.-based subsidiary of Venezuela’s state oil company, had donated $500,000 to the U.S. president’s inauguration committee. The donation, made as Venezuela reels from hyperinflation and economic collapse, raised eyebrows across the political spectrum. Critics accused the Maduro administration of using oil revenues to curry favor with foreign governments, while supporters saw it as a strategic gesture aimed at keeping diplomatic channels open. From the below video and other reporting that Trumps friend Paul Singer’s hedge fund bought Citgo for $5.89B — far below its $18B value — after years of U.S. pressure weakened Venezuela’s position.
According to Judd Legum for Popular Information, in 2024, Paul Singer, 81, with a net worth of $6.7 billion, contributed $5 million to Make America Great Again Inc., Trump’s Super PAC. He also donated tens of millions more throughout the 2024 cycle to support Trump-aligned candidates, including $37 million toward Republican congressional campaigns, as well as an undisclosed sum to fund Trump’s second transition.
For more on how Singer amassed his wealth from this conflict, see the link above.
But Rodríguez’s tone was not one of appeasement. “Our response will not be revenge, but vindication—through example,” she said. “We will show Bolivarian diplomacy in action, guided by the legacy of our Liberator.” Her invocation of Simón Bolívar was more than symbolic—it was a call to resist neocolonial domination and reclaim sovereignty through principled diplomacy.
The broader context is unmistakable: Venezuela’s vast oil reserves have long made it a target of U.S. intervention. From sanctions and covert operations to overt political pressure, Washington’s playbook has remained consistent. What’s changed is the brazenness with which these actions are now justified. The myth of humanitarian concern has given way to open declarations of control, as if empire no longer requires disguise.
Rodríguez’s message to the American people was clear: do not be complicit. “This is a stain on our shared history,” she warned. In an era of rising multipolarity, where Russia and China loom as alternative partners, Venezuela’s defiance signals a shift—not just in rhetoric, but in geopolitical alignment.
Whether the U.S. heeds this warning or doubles down on its imperial ambitions remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: the struggle over Venezuela is not just about oil. It is about sovereignty, dignity, and the enduring legacy of resistance in the Global South.
This article was sparked by a recent video from Venezuelanalysis, where journalists and scholars dissect the latest U.S.–Venezuela oil agreement announced by President Donald Trump. The deal greenlights up to $2 billion in Venezuelan crude exports to the United States—under terms that dramatically expand U.S. access to Venezuela’s oil sector while rerouting exports away from China, Russia, and Cuba. Analysts describe the agreement as a major political concession, extracted through sustained U.S. pressure, and a stark reminder that oil remains a central instrument of American strategic dominance.
Featuring Professor Steve Ellner and journalist Ricardo Vaz, the discussion situates the deal within a century-long battle over Venezuela’s oil—from early U.S. corporate control and partial nationalization, to Hugo Chávez’s push for sovereignty and the crippling impact of U.S. sanctions since 2017. As Venezuela’s oil production limps forward under economic siege, the video asks whether recovery is possible without surrendering deeper control to Washington. The answer, as the panel makes clear, lies at the intersection of geopolitics, corporate power, and the enduring fight for energy sovereignty.
Some highlights
1. U.S. Leverage and Oil Control
- “This deal was not negotiated among equals — it was extracted under sustained U.S. pressure.”
- Analysts warn the new oil agreement ‘turns market access into political compliance.’
2. Trump’s Demands and Corporate Access
- Trump insisted Venezuela must grant ‘total access’ to its oil sector or ‘face the consequences.’
- The U.S. demanded Venezuela divert crude away from China, Russia, and Cuba and send it all to the United States.
3. Chevron’s Special Treatment
- Chevron tankers kept moving while others were blocked — a clear example of selective sanctions as geopolitical leverage.
- Chevron’s secret Treasury license shows how sanctions are weaponized to benefit U.S. corporations.
4. Citgo, Vulture Funds, and Billionaire Donors
- Paul Singer’s hedge fund bought Citgo for $5.89B — far below its $18B value — after years of U.S. pressure weakened Venezuela’s position.
- Critics call the sale ‘forced’ and ‘illegitimate,’ the product of economic warfare.
5. Sanctions as Economic Warfare
- Venezuela’s oil output collapsed from 2 million barrels/day to 350,000 after U.S. sanctions — the lowest since the 1930s.
- Sanctions forced PDVSA to rely on small, inexperienced firms while blocking access to investment and spare parts.
6. The Long Fight for Oil Sovereignty
- For a century, Venezuela has battled to control its own oil — from U.S. corporate dominance to incomplete nationalization.
- Chávez’s reforms sought majority state control; U.S. pressure intensified immediately afterward.
7. Geopolitics Behind the Oil Grab
- Experts argue the conflict is about more than oil — it’s about reasserting U.S. hemispheric dominance.
- Washington’s strategy mirrors a revived Monroe Doctrine backed by military threats and economic coercion.
8. Trump’s “The Oil Is Ours” Doctrine
- Trump repeatedly claimed Venezuelan oil ‘belongs to the United States,’ echoing similar statements about Syria and Iraq.
- Scholars say the real motive is securing oil fields as collateral for a deeply indebted U.S. economy.
9. PDVSA Under Siege
- PDVSA is state‑controlled but weakened by sanctions, workforce migration, and military involvement in management.
- Technician shortages and blocked revenue flows make recovery nearly impossible under current U.S. pressure.
10. The Central Question
- Can Venezuela rebuild its oil industry without deepening U.S. control — or has energy sovereignty become inseparable from geopolitical confrontation?
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