The U.S. has struck a deal to take majority control of more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuela’s oil reserves, nine months after the U.S. military abducted President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores in a raid on Caracas and two months after The New York Times revealed that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has become the de facto viceroy of Venezuela, effectively controlling Venezuela’s finances, the distribution of its natural resources and its government. The new oil deal gives the Department of Defense a 35% stake in a joint U.S.-Venezuelan private company that now holds 100-year leases to 17 oil fields. It also gives the U.S. the right to buy some of the oil produced at cost — a major triumph for the Trump administration as the war on Iran depletes the United States’ strategic oil reserves. Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez claims U.S. investment in Venezuela’s oil industry will jumpstart the country’s floundering economy, but critics, including Venezuelan economist Francisco Rodríguez, say the deal is not only “unfavorable to Venezuela” but also appears to violate the Venezuelan Constitution.

    • lmdnw@lemmy.world
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      22 hours ago

      Do you think a Democrat run administration would attack Venezuela if it unilaterally decided that the lease agreements it made under threat were not valid? I’m arguing from the POV of the Venezuelans and think they can, should, and will rescind this agreement once Trump is finally gone.

      • bedwyr@piefed.ca
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        15 hours ago

        On repudiation of the contracts the companies would take them to court, secure a large judgement, then get the court to seize assets for them. The democrats wouldn’t stop it.

      • zedcell@lemmygrad.ml
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        18 hours ago

        Official “enemy states” like Venezuela are enemy States for both parties, and their populations are considered less than human for the sake of foreign intervention and adventurism by the entire US political establishment.

        Want proof? Look at how nominally left and liberal allies to the US in government treated and treat the US’ behaviour in Venezuela. They don’t give a fuck.