This story lies at the intersection of foreign policy, resource politics and institutional legitimacy. A US administration that removed a sitting president is now reshaping Venezuela’s oil sector, choosing its preferred partner in Caracas and becoming a focal point for opposition figures appealing to an external power rather than domestic institutions. The story also illustrates the close connection between ‘democracy promotion’ and ‘freedom’ rhetoric, market access (oil), sanctions leverage, and the informal rules by which powerful states influence the internal governance of weaker ones.
What strikes me is the use of personal symbolism, such as a Nobel medal and historical references to Lafayette and Bolívar, to legitimise hard power politics, and the speed with which control over Venezuela’s main export industry is being reorganised under U.S. guidance before any genuinely democratic system is in place. The sub may wish to consider who will gain lasting power from these actions: Venezuelan citizens and institutions, specific opposition factions, or US strategic and commercial interests. They may also wish to discuss the discrepancy between the rhetoric of peaceful transition and the fact that regime change, asset seizures and external recognition are being decided far from Venezuelan voters.
I know Kissinger and Arafat got a Nobel peace prize, but this is next level performative corruption. Moreover, I have to say Trump’s venture into Venezuela has to be in the top 3 most pointless in American History. It was like if we removed Saddam and left Iraq under Tariq Aziz or Uday Hussein. It makes not much meaningful difference to the people there and we violated international law for the sake of shits and giggles.
Maduro was even willing to cuck out and sell us oil. So it wasn’t about the oil entirely.
Trump’s super power isn’t his corruption – it’s his ability for people around him and who need to deal with him to debase and corrupt themselves to Trump’s level or lower.
RodChainFurlongAcre on
Whoever the next Democratic president is, alongside seizing all of the Trumps ill-gotten wealth, one of their first orders should be to forcibly take the nobel medal back. Have special forces pry it from his orange hands if need be. And if Machado doesn’t want it, it can go into a museum exhibit of why appeasement is a fools errand.
Gullible-Oven6731 on
He can put it next to his Purple Heart. Our President is genuinely less mature than Eric Cartman. It just gets worse and worse.
-Polimata- on
Machado is absolutely pathetic. Jesus, what a sad excuse for a person. She is so fucking pathetic that the decision to put Delcy in power over her seems almost justifiable. Nobody would follow her into anything if all the has come out about her actions in the past few months is true.
Best-Chapter5260 on
“Chris Chan appears at the White House to officially present SoniChu medallion to Trump.”
twdarkeh on
This might be the single most pathetic thing Trump has done this week.
Eric848448 on
He’s gonna be pissed when he finds out there’s no chocolate on the inside.
molingrad on
>Thank you for this award that I didn’t win, that everyone knows I didn’t win, that I cried about losing, but look at all those suckers now.
This seems like a metaphor for our times or something. It’s not what the award represents, it’s the literal trophy that matters.
Kind-Armadillo-2340 on
Participation noble prize.
space_lasers on
What did I do to deserve to live in this idiotic fucking timeline?
StreetTap2773 on
A gift for the grifter-in-chief.
69Turd69Ferguson69 on
This is just pathetic. Trump’s the guy that would tape a dildo to his leg because he imagines Obama has a larger dick than him, I bet.
17 Comments
Loser behavior all around
Submission statement:
This story lies at the intersection of foreign policy, resource politics and institutional legitimacy. A US administration that removed a sitting president is now reshaping Venezuela’s oil sector, choosing its preferred partner in Caracas and becoming a focal point for opposition figures appealing to an external power rather than domestic institutions. The story also illustrates the close connection between ‘democracy promotion’ and ‘freedom’ rhetoric, market access (oil), sanctions leverage, and the informal rules by which powerful states influence the internal governance of weaker ones.
What strikes me is the use of personal symbolism, such as a Nobel medal and historical references to Lafayette and Bolívar, to legitimise hard power politics, and the speed with which control over Venezuela’s main export industry is being reorganised under U.S. guidance before any genuinely democratic system is in place. The sub may wish to consider who will gain lasting power from these actions: Venezuelan citizens and institutions, specific opposition factions, or US strategic and commercial interests. They may also wish to discuss the discrepancy between the rhetoric of peaceful transition and the fact that regime change, asset seizures and external recognition are being decided far from Venezuelan voters.
https://preview.redd.it/ncpy5yjk95eg1.png?width=1024&format=png&auto=webp&s=9cf1e83e86dd7d7dfd2af2467b9602b6660d0b36
I know Kissinger and Arafat got a Nobel peace prize, but this is next level performative corruption. Moreover, I have to say Trump’s venture into Venezuela has to be in the top 3 most pointless in American History. It was like if we removed Saddam and left Iraq under Tariq Aziz or Uday Hussein. It makes not much meaningful difference to the people there and we violated international law for the sake of shits and giggles.
Maduro was even willing to cuck out and sell us oil. So it wasn’t about the oil entirely.
https://i.redd.it/902t5ru8d5eg1.gif
Trump’s super power isn’t his corruption – it’s his ability for people around him and who need to deal with him to debase and corrupt themselves to Trump’s level or lower.
Whoever the next Democratic president is, alongside seizing all of the Trumps ill-gotten wealth, one of their first orders should be to forcibly take the nobel medal back. Have special forces pry it from his orange hands if need be. And if Machado doesn’t want it, it can go into a museum exhibit of why appeasement is a fools errand.
He can put it next to his Purple Heart. Our President is genuinely less mature than Eric Cartman. It just gets worse and worse.
Machado is absolutely pathetic. Jesus, what a sad excuse for a person. She is so fucking pathetic that the decision to put Delcy in power over her seems almost justifiable. Nobody would follow her into anything if all the has come out about her actions in the past few months is true.
“Chris Chan appears at the White House to officially present SoniChu medallion to Trump.”
This might be the single most pathetic thing Trump has done this week.
He’s gonna be pissed when he finds out there’s no chocolate on the inside.
>Thank you for this award that I didn’t win, that everyone knows I didn’t win, that I cried about losing, but look at all those suckers now.
This seems like a metaphor for our times or something. It’s not what the award represents, it’s the literal trophy that matters.
Participation noble prize.
What did I do to deserve to live in this idiotic fucking timeline?
A gift for the grifter-in-chief.
This is just pathetic. Trump’s the guy that would tape a dildo to his leg because he imagines Obama has a larger dick than him, I bet.