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Those of you who read my last post might well be expecting this to be about the left side of politics. I have been derailed in that regard by other events, particularly the Venezuelan situation and the politics of it. I watched a very interesting AI curated video on the economic reasons for the Venezuelan operation which led me to the headline above: What a complex web Donald Trump weaves.
Link the political and economic reasons behind the Venezuelan operation and it paints a picture of Trump as a spider acting on steroids. His web is woven to ensure the continuation of American dominance on the world stage while at the same time ensnaring flies – the tyrannical dictators who are harming their people.
The video, available on YouTube, suggests that economic reasons outweigh the political reasons and it is hard to disagree. This is all about oil and largely about America maintaining its dominance over China in the energy sector. This is of importance when it comes to the currency used to pay for the oil which presently is mainly American dollars.
China has been making moves, along with some Latin American and other countries, including Russia, India and South Africa, to remove the American currency’s dominance. So the suggestion is that the arrest of Maduro had more to do with economics and less to do with politics. This rationale is a strong one and not only hard to ignore but also hard to disagree with.
I do, though, want to expand on the political aspect because although different, it is, in its own sphere, of equal importance. Money is one thing but it’s also important in the politics of the matter. Even if, as the video implies, the arrest of Maduro was more for economic reasons and even if the arrest was the excuse, it needed to be made. In the political context, money is needed for the good of the people.
Venezuela has more oil reserves than Saudi Arabia: $17 trillion is the amount that has been stated. The country used to produce three million barrels a day, but currently is producing less than one million barrels per day. Why? The simple answer is that Maduro wrecked it. Senator Ted Cruz has just released some startling figures relating to the top four world economies in 1950. They were America, Switzerland, NEW ZEALAND and Venezuela in that order.
Venezuela under two dictators, first Chavez and now Maduro, has been totally destroyed and its people are suffering as a consequence. This is how terrorist dictators work. They have their own agendas and their own elites, whom they look after along with themselves. They rig elections to ensure they remain in power and have absolutely no regard for their people.
If Venezuela had been run as a true democracy, it would be the richest country on earth; instead they are impoverished, downtrodden and consigned to a life of misery. This is why there is such jubilation in the streets at the removal of Maduro. I also think Trump will prove this is not just about the oil because he will continue to hunt down other dictators and rulers who are also causing harm to their people.
I believe Trump is on a mission to bring democracy back to these countries so their people can have better lives. In this I support him, but, as is pointed out in the video, getting rid of governments is the easy bit. Putting together what follows is the part that can be incredibly difficult and is potentially where Trump’s good work could come undone.
We saw it in the Middle East and now we are seeing it in the Venezuelan scenario. The first part of the plan is brilliantly executed but what needs to follow is not in place. The hiatus in the Middle East is now working to the advantage of Hamas and the other terrorist groups. Trump might have the idea of running Venezuela, but as of now there is a gap, again giving time for domestic politicians – those people against his plans – to cause disruption, particularly in relation to American oil companies going in to repair installations to reinstate optimum production.
Iran, as he has already intimated, is also in Trump’s sights and it will not be a surprise to see, when he judges the time to be right, American military involvement. He is also looking at Columbia and Cuba (Trump thinks the latter will fall on its own accord). And here again is where we see the economics of the Venezuelan situation working at a political level. China and Russia, amongst others, buy a lot of oil from Venezuela and this is where the points in the video about American control are also pertinent.
If Trump has control he can cut off the supply of Venezuelan oil to China and Russia which severely weakens their positions on a number of fronts including defence and their military capabilities. This could well affect the ability of China to invade Taiwan and Russia continuing its war against Ukraine, which is why there has been so much screaming from Xi and Putin. Trump has also brought Greenland into play in his overarching scenario: a situation that must be addressed through dialogue and dialogue only.
The stakes are extremely high and Trump, as he usually does, is playing to win. The guy likes to live up to his name! Where this all goes and where it all ends up is anybody’s guess but the world is watching. What we can be sure of is that Trump, far from being physically and mentally impaired as some in the media would have us believe, has in golfing parlance got the driver in his hands in preference to the putter.
How far Trump decides to spin his economic web and what political flies he catches along the way remains to be seen. What we can be pretty sure about is that Maduro probably won’t be the last. From an economic perspective he has sent a stark message to China and Russia and, politically, put all the dictators around the world on notice. The end goal of all of this, in Trump’s mind, is to make the Western Hemisphere as democratic and economically sound as possible.
Personally, I don’t have a problem with that.
