Understanding the US - Again

[SRajesh]

Note above If that happens only US, India and China will be able to handle the heavy sour stuff.
EU/Asia/African will have to depend on them for refined products until such times as EU/Gulf countries can build up capabilities to handle heavy Sour stuff or HSS

[SRajesh]

Just listening to Rubio on Sky News
Venezuelan Oil is for America and secondarily for improve the lives of Venezuelan people!!!.
Not of Oligarch in the rest of the world.
He specifically mentions China/ Asia and Africa.(he did not specify India openly)
So this basically Oil related!!

[SRajesh]

Did we buy Venezuelan crude ??
Has Ambani or Adani being a little Gujju Crafty and buying up slyiy???

[SRajesh]

^^ to answer my own question see the TOIlet news:https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/bus ... 333343.cms
Hmm is this an attempt to wean off the Russian Crude??
But how can we trust Unkil in the long term.
What garantuee that they will not turn off the tap when we desperately need ???

[A_Gupta]

Trump has no coherent idea of what to do - his minions are trying to make sense of it. Yes, Trump has telegraphed his intentions - annex Canada and Greenland, upend the set ups in Venezuela, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Iran, Brazil and so on. The only competence displayed here is by the US military and intelligence. None of the people around him are going to tell him, Sir, that is a bad idea. They just make the best of the situation as they can.

So e.g.,
Trump - blockade (Dec 16 or so, a blockade is an act of war), "we will run Venezuela" (how, without occupation?), "we will keep its oil" (act of war).

Rubio says it "wasn't necessary {to inform Congress} because this wasn't an invasion".
He describes it as a "law enforcement operation", and says Maduro was "arrested on the ground by FBI agents".

[A_Gupta]

"US DITCH NOBEL WINNER MACHADO

TRUMP: ‘She doesn't have support or respect within her country’

Fact check: "Machado, who recently won the Nobel Peace Prize for her fight for democracy in Venezuela, had a 72 percent approval rating from Venezuelans in a March 2025 poll by ClearPath Strategies." {Her Nobel Prize announcement was in October 2025.}

[A_Gupta]

This is a MEA press release:

https://www.mea.gov.in/press-releases.h ... _Venezuela

Press Release on recent developments in Venezuela
January 04, 2026

Recent developments in Venezuela are a matter of deep concern. We are closely monitoring the evolving situation.

2. India reaffirms its support to the well-being and safety of the people of Venezuela. We call upon all concerned to address issues peacefully through dialogue, ensuring peace and stability of the region.

3. The Embassy of India in Caracas is in contact with members of the Indian community and will continue to provide all possible assistance.

New Delhi
January 04, 2026

[drnayar]

"US DITCH NOBEL WINNER MACHADO

TRUMP: ‘She doesn't have support or respect within her country’

Fact check: "Machado, who recently won the Nobel Peace Prize for her fight for democracy in Venezuela, had a 72 percent approval rating from Venezuelans in a March 2025 poll by ClearPath Strategies." {Her Nobel Prize announcement was in October 2025.}

no jai chand is respected ..not even by the enemy

[drnayar]

French shared their displeasure. France will be hit with some riots. Jihadis will burn paris. German reaction was guarded. Some Spanish MP did make some comment. It will not be taken seriously.

On the night of Saturday, January 3, 2026, authorities in Burkina Faso reportedly thwarted a new coup attempt aimed at toppling the transitional government of Captain Ibrahim Traoré.
Reports indicate that the following events occurred around 1:00 a.m. local time on January 4, 2026:
Youth Mobilization: Thousands of Burkinabè youths mobilized in the middle of the night upon hearing rumors of the coup attempt. They marched toward the presidential palace in Ouagadougou to form a human shield and protect President Traoré.
Vigil and Support: Demonstrators organized an all-night vigil outside the palace, pledging to remain vigilant against internal plotters and foreign interference. Similar solidarity demonstrations were reported in other locations, reflecting significant support for the current leadership.


Supporters and social media reports linked the plot to French sponsorship . The government had previously accused external actors, particularly those based in neighboring countries or linked to Western powers, of attempting to destabilize the nation.

the coup attempt failed

[drnayar]

https://x.com/Wellutwt/status/2007723900680188120

[A_Gupta]

In the Sunday morning news shows - about who is running Venezuela: Secy of State Marco Rubio did not answer, simply said we will not allow anything adverse to American interests.

Senator Tom Cotton (Senate Intelligence Committee Chair) : "“When the president said the United States is going to be running Venezuela, it means that the new leaders of Venezuela need to meet our demands."

On Saturday, Defense Secy Pete Hegseth Hegseth remained non-committal on whether the United States will deploy military personnel into Venezuela to enforce President Donald Trump’s vision of running the country before transitioning power to a U.S.-approved leader.

---
The New York Times says that Madura's vice-president, Delcy Rodriguez, is acceptable to Trump.

[A_Gupta]

Fact check: "Machado, who recently won the Nobel Peace Prize for her fight for democracy in Venezuela, had a 72 percent approval rating from Venezuelans in a March 2025 poll by ClearPath Strategies." {Her Nobel Prize announcement was in October 2025.}

no jai chand is respected ..not even by the enemy

That is true in Indian culture. What basis does Trump have to make his claim?

[chanakyaa]

....the only US oil company that has an exception to extract ‘black gold’ from Venezuela

[Vayutuvan]

Bin Laden was not head of state. Panama - it’s National Assembly - had actually declared war on the US before Bush acted.

TIL
Neither Biden admin nor current admin recognize Maduro as a legitimate HoS.

[Mort Walker]

no jai chand is respected ..not even by the enemy

That is true in Indian culture. What basis does Trump have to make his claim?

She’s not good looking.

[A_Gupta]

She’s not good looking.

Yes, that is Trump's prime consideration for any woman. The number of his political hangers-on who have had plastic surgery to fit into Trump's template is legion.

--
But on a serious note, how does Trump intend to run and control Venezuela? If there are not troops on the ground, the threat is that if you don't do as I say, I will Maduro you. But can the same trick be pulled off twice?

[Vayutuvan]

US hits Venezuela with new sanctions after Maduro’s ‘illegitimate’ inauguration
BY LAURA KELLY AND RAFAEL BERNAL - 01/10/25 1:17 PM ET

https://thehill.com/policy/internationa ... p-dhs-tps/

The Biden administration announced a slew of new sanctions against allies of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in opposition to his claim of election victory, calling his Friday inauguration “illegitimate” and a “desperate attempt to seize power.”

Maduro was sworn in as president of Venezuela on Friday by National Assembly leader Jorge Rodríguez, expanding the rift between the country’s de-facto government and foreign powers who explicitly question its legitimacy.

The U.S. is increasing its rewards for justice to $25 million for information leading to Maduro’s arrest or conviction and that of his minister of interior, Diosdado Cabello.

Now Dumbocrats are complaining that Trump did something wrong. Can't trust either party when it comes to oil.

[drnayar]

https://web.archive.org/web/20260104180 ... la-maduro/

Rubio takes on most challenging role yet: Viceroy of Venezuela
The top U.S. diplomat has pushed for regime change for over a decade. Now the hard part begins.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national ... la-maduro/

ah we miss the good ol' East india Company

[Mort Walker]

She’s not good looking.

Yes, that is Trump's prime consideration for any woman. The number of his political hangers-on who have had plastic surgery to fit into Trump's template is legion.

--
But on a serious note, how does Trump intend to run and control Venezuela? If there are not troops on the ground, the threat is that if you don't do as I say, I will Maduro you. But can the same trick be pulled off twice?

In 1999, Venezuela produced over 4.5 MBPD & today it’s 1.1 MBPD. Their crude is suited for heavy machinery diesel for which Exxon-Mobile & Conoco-Phillips have setup refineries. They will run operations in Venezuela by purging the Venezuelan army of Maduro/Chavez loyalists. They’ve done this for decades in the ME & other places around the world. Recall Rex Tillerson, DT’a first term SoS before being fired, was an Exxon-Mobile executive with years of experience in the ME. Running a country of 29M almost all Roman Catholics isn’t going to be as hard as running 80M+ Shia Muslims of Iran.

Maduro was trying to get Chinese investment to ramp up production to over 3 MBPD while moving away from the USD. This invasion would have happened regardless of political party affiliation of POTUS.

[A_Gupta]

They will run operations in Venezuela by purging the Venezuelan army of Maduro/Chavez loyalists.

Doesn't that mean boots on the ground?

Running a country of 29M almost all Roman Catholics isn’t going to be as hard as running 80M+ Shia Muslims of Iran.

a. They haven't run Iran in 45 years or so.
b. The distributed corruption in Venezuela is deeply entrenched.
c. Chavismo is quite deeply embedded in Venezuela like Baathism in Iraq. Purging all of the Baathists in Iraq was by most accounts an unforced error.

https://pfiffner.schar.gmu.edu/files/pd ... %20PDF.pdf
Pfiffner, James P. "US blunders in Iraq: De-Baathification and disbanding the army." Intelligence and National Security 25.1 (2010): 76-85.

Early in the occupation of Iraq two key decisions were made that gravely jeopardized US chances for success in Iraq: (1) the decision to bar from government work Iraqis who ranked in the top four levels of Sadam’s Baath Party or who held positions in the top three levels of each ministry; (2) the decision to disband the Iraqi Army and replace it with a new army built from scratch. These two fateful decisions were made against the advice of military and CIA professionals and without consulting important members of the President’s staff and cabinet. This article will first examine the de- Baathification order and then take up the even more far reaching decision to disband the Iraqi Army.

Both of these decisions fueled the insurgency by: (1) alienating hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who could not support themselves or their families; (2) by undermining the normal infrastructure necessary for social and economic activity; (3) by ensuring that there was not sufficient security to carry on normal life; and (4) by creating insurgents who were angry at the US, many of whom had weapons and were trained to use them.

Incidentally, this insight here (probably independently arrived at) was key to India's successful transition from British Raj.

In disbanding most of the leadership of the Iraqi bureaucracy, Bremer ignored Max Weber’s insight from a century ago: ‘A rationally ordered system of officials [the bureaucracy] continues to function smoothly after the enemy has occupied the area; he merely needs to change the top officials. This body of officials continues to operate because it is to the vital interest of everyone concerned, including above all the enemy’.

So Trump's problem is to keep the top Venezuelan leadership in line. If they at some point balk, can Trump pull off Maduro Operation 2.0?

Added - how is the plan to stabliize Gaza going?

[Mort Walker]

Running Venezuela with oil companies out of Houston isn’t going to be as hard as influencing ME countries. Pay attention to what https://www.bakerinstitute.org/ they’re saying.

The Gaza deal was a Trump plan. Venezuela has been a neocon idea for over 2 decades.

[Vayutuvan]

They will run operations in Venezuela by purging the Venezuelan army of Maduro/Chavez loyalists.

Doesn't that mean boots on the ground?

Yes, and Trump said the US is willing to put boots on the ground.

[Vayutuvan]

The Gaza deal was a Trump plan. Venezuela has been a neocon idea for over 2 decades.

Neocons in DNC? I thought all Necons are GOPers.

[A_Gupta]

Running Venezuela with oil companies out of Houston isn’t going to be as hard as influencing ME countries. Pay attention to what https://www.bakerinstitute.org/ they’re saying.

The Gaza deal was a Trump plan. Venezuela has been a neocon idea for over 2 decades.

Please link to a specific document.

Bechaaraa AI says:
Quote:
There is no evidence in the search results of
- A plan for the U.S. to “run” or administer Venezuela
- Advocacy for U.S. control, occupation, or governance of Venezuela
- Any document resembling a blueprint for U.S. management of Venezuelan institutions

[A_Gupta]

Elsewhere I found a statement from Rubio which amounts to the blockade on oil exports will continue until Venezuela caves and does whatever it is the US wants it to do.

[Vayutuvan]

"Head of State" objection did not take. So we are asking for more evidence about something else altogether.

[Vayutuvan]

[Vayutuvan]

[Vayutuvan]

Not AI generated. Grok says the following.

Grok @grok
...
The lower photo appears to be real, based on multiple news reports of similar celebrations by Venezuelans following Maduro's capture on Jan 3, 2026. Sources like NY Post, Fox News, and CBS show comparable scenes with "Thank You Trump" signs and hugs in places like Florida and Chile. No evidence it's AI-generated.

[Vayutuvan]

This is

[Mort Walker]

Running Venezuela with oil companies out of Houston isn’t going to be as hard as influencing ME countries. Pay attention to what https://www.bakerinstitute.org/ they’re saying.

The Gaza deal was a Trump plan. Venezuela has been a neocon idea for over 2 decades.

Please link to a specific document.

Bechaaraa AI says:
Quote:
There is no evidence in the search results of
- A plan for the U.S. to “run” or administer Venezuela
- Advocacy for U.S. control, occupation, or governance of Venezuela
- Any document resembling a blueprint for U.S. management of Venezuelan institutions

“Leaked emails from WikiLeaks (published around 2016) reveal that, while publicly expressing interest in improved relations, Clinton privately viewed Venezuela skeptically. She reportedly sought ways to “rein in Chávez,” monitored regional influences involving Venezuela, and supported efforts to delegitimize the Bolivarian Revolution. Critics, including pro-Venezuelan government sources, describe this as backing destabilization.”

[Jay]

And just like that, retardlicans pretend no one cares about epstien pedo scandal...

This "special operation" is one big drama from this pedo geezer and his supporters

[Jay]

Not AI generated. Grok says the following.

If grok says then it must not all be fake then...probably also certified by midwest petriot facebook admin too I suppose.

[S_Madhukar]

I wonder with what face Eurotards are going to talk energy transition ? It is Back to the Future baby !!
Just a matter of time BP, Total etc line up for a slice of the pie.

Uncle Sam needs very cheap oil to tide over the inflation coming soon as a result of USD decline and low interest rate

[Vayutuvan]

Not AI generated. Grok says the following.

If grok says then it must not all be fake then...probably also certified by midwest petriot facebook admin too I suppose.

you naat pelieb ABC/CNN/BBC/CBS...?!!! afsos kee baat hai jee. meeru commie-unity kallege vaaru kadaa.

[Vayutuvan]

I wonder with what face Eurotards are going to talk energy transition ?

saaru vaaru, Eurotards Eurotrash.

[Vayutuvan]

“Leaked emails from WikiLeaks (published around 2016) reveal that, while publicly expressing interest in improved relations, Clinton privately viewed Venezuela skeptically.

sab mile huen hain jee

[Vayutuvan]

Not AI generated. Grok says the following.

If grok says then it must not all be fake then...probably also certified by midwest petriot facebook admin too I suppose.

meeku KD Harris anna maata samajh lo raaledanukontaa. meeru settleraa?

[A_Gupta]

“Leaked emails from WikiLeaks (published around 2016) reveal that, while publicly expressing interest in improved relations, Clinton privately viewed Venezuela skeptically. She reportedly sought ways to “rein in Chávez,” monitored regional influences involving Venezuela, and supported efforts to delegitimize the Bolivarian Revolution. Critics, including pro-Venezuelan government sources, describe this as backing destabilization.”

Thanks! But this is not at bakerinstitute.org - it is from

https://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/1 ... opilot.com

[Mort Walker]

“Leaked emails from WikiLeaks (published around 2016) reveal that, while publicly expressing interest in improved relations, Clinton privately viewed Venezuela skeptically.

sab mile huen hain jee

The more you dig into this, is exactly the case as you stated. Trump is a pedo no doubt, but with Maduro moving away from the Petrodollar would have resulted in even Kamala Harris doing the same thing. Lots of posturing going on right now.

The Petroleum Ministry should reach out to Chevron or Exxon-Mobile about discounted crude if they can beat Russian prices. After all it’s now run by America according to Trump.