The piece traces Washington’s evolving ties to Caracas from a friendly partnership to a “predatory” relationship, spotlighting the Trump administration’s defense of a controversial oil deal amid accusations of “gunpoint diplomacy.” It opens with a 1950 State Department memo that bluntly states U.S. policy toward Venezuela is driven by securing petroleum supplies, framing the long‑standing oil nexus that underpins both cooperation and conflict. By juxtaposing historical documents with recent political rhetoric, the article argues that the U.S. has repeatedly prioritized energy interests over democratic principles, a strategy that has drawn sharp criticism from critics of the Trump administration.
A visual look at how Washington’s relationship with Caracas has gone from cordial to ‘predatory’Trump ally defends Venezuela oil deal amid ‘gunpoint diplomacy’ criticismWritten in the middle of the last century, the US Department of State memo conveys its message in a curt and undiplomatically honest tone: the glue that binds Washington to Caracas is, and is always likely to be, oil.“All US policies toward Venezuela are affected in greater or less degree by the objective of assuring an adequate supply of petroleum for the US,” the 1950 document reads. Continue reading...
