After President Donald Trump removed Venezuelan socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro, the U.S. has emerged as the “master of the hemisphere” and is positioned to leverage the Latin American nation’s resources to outpace China, Russia, and Canada in the coming years, energy sector experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation. [some emphasis, links added]
American energy companies essentially built and led innovation within the Venezuelan oil industry from the 1900s until the early 21st century, when former socialist dictator Hugo Chávez nationalized the industry.
Chevron is now the only major U.S. company operating in Venezuela, and Trump’s move to “run” or otherwise influence the country creates new opportunities for oil development — a shift that some energy experts told the DCNF will shift geopolitics into Washington’s grip.
“The writing is on the wall. The U.S. is firmly in the driver’s seat,” The Heritage Foundation’s Chief Economist EJ Antoni told the DCNF, acknowledging that it will take time to revitalize the oil industry in Venezuela and pivot from Canadian oil imports.
“Venezuela is being taken out of the Chinese orbit and from the Russian orbit and into that of the United States. … By boosting American strategic interests… you’ve simultaneously reduced Russian and Chinese strategic interests.”
Despite sitting on the world’s largest oil reserves, about 50% of Venezuelans live in extreme poverty.
The administration and economists like Antoni note that a revitalized Venezuelan oil industry partnered with the U.S. could lead to a mutually beneficial relationship.
Russia and China have collaborated and long sought influence in Venezuela, with an energy giant owned by the Russian state operating as a key partner in Venezuelan oil production, particularly after U.S. sanctions limited other buyers.
The bulk of Venezuelan oil exports flowed to China in recent years.
In addition to vast petroleum and natural gas reserves, Venezuela sits on significant deposits of iron ore, bauxite, gold, diamonds, and other rare earth minerals.
Venezuela also hosts notable resources, and currently, Canada is the top supplier to the U.S. for forest products and lumber.
Canada’s exports to the U.S. have served as a large source of leverage in trade negotiations with America, Antoni told the DCNF.
“Now that that leverage is gone. It’s not gone overnight, but the writing is on the wall,” he said, adding that Venezuelan crude — like Canadian — is heavy and American refineries in Texas are built to process it.
Importing oil from Venezuela via the Atlantic and Caribbean could be more cost-effective, particularly if the U.S. secures a discount, Antoni said.
The U.S. is “at this point, master of its own destiny and master of the hemisphere. And the Canadian government has to know that,” Antoni said.
Read rest at Daily Caller
Venezuela’s heavy oil industry currently operates at a loss or extremely slim profit potential for new investments due to the high production costs and low global oil prices in early 2026. The breakeven price for Venezuelan projects is estimated at around $80 per barrel, while current global prices for benchmarks like Brent crude are closer to $60 per barrel.
No oil company with sense would invest in Venezuela unless the oil was stolen and heavily subsidized by the US government. The illegal invasion of Venezuela was not to steal the oil. The illegal invasion was to cut off oil supplies to Cuba and bankrupt the nation. Marco Rubio has wanted to take over Cuba for decades.
The illegal invasion of Venezuela was not about drugs. Almost all the cocaine from South America comes from Colombia. 8% of it passes through Venezuela, but could just as easily pass through another country
Trump just pardoned the biggest drug trafficker ever convicted in US courts: The ex-president of Honduras. Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández was convicted in a U.S. federal court for participating in a massive, years-long drug trafficking conspiracy that transported over 400 tons of cocaine into the United States. Trump set him free.
Amazing how much you know that the apparently clueless government doesn’t. You should offer your services to the administration As to the “invasion” there has been a valid arrest warrant for Maduro and his wife and even the Democrats in Congress had previously been on Trump for not arresting Maduro. And this is not the first time the US has done this and nobody claimed it was either illegal or invasion.