Economic Strangulation of Venezuela: Final Step before Full-scale US Aggression?

By Drago Bosnic

[This article was first published on Global Research. You can read it here.]

On December 16, American President Donald Trump formally ordered the “total and complete blockade” of Venezuela, claiming that its government is now designated as a “foreign terrorist organization” (FTO). In his signature manner of communicating through the unchecked use of superlatives, Trump also bragged that the US Navy “completely surrounded” Venezuela with “the largest armada ever assembled in the history of South America.” The fiercely independent Latin American country has a coastline only in the north, so the claim that it’s “completely surrounded” is patently incorrect. However, Trump’s lack of knowledge when it comes to basic, primary school geography is hardly surprising, given the fact that, at one point, he boasted about “ending war between Aberbaijan and Albania” (yes, you read that right, it’s a “b” instead of “z” for Trump).

“Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America. It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before — Until such time as they return to the United States of America all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us. The illegitimate Maduro Regime is using Oil from these stolen Oil Fields to finance themselves, Drug Terrorism, Human Trafficking, Murder, and Kidnapping. For the theft of our Assets, and many other reasons, including Terrorism, Drug Smuggling, and Human Trafficking, the Venezuelan Regime has been designated a FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION,” he posted on Truth Social, adding: “Therefore, today, I am ordering A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela. The Illegal Aliens and Criminals that the Maduro Regime has sent into the United States during the weak and inept Biden Administration, are being returned to Venezuela at a rapid pace. America will not allow Criminals, Terrorists, or other Countries, to rob, threaten, or harm our Nation and, likewise, will not allow a Hostile Regime to take our Oil, Land, or any other Assets, all of which must be returned to the United States, IMMEDIATELY. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

Obviously, the threat that the blockade will “only get bigger” means that the United States is preparing for a full-scale war with Venezuela.

Namely, just like any other country on the planet, Caracas needs unimpeded sea access to export and import goods and commodities. However, what’s probably even more important, Trump effectively admitted that the US aggression on Venezuela is yet another (neo)colonial war when he threatened that the blockade will last “until such time as they return to the United States of America all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us.” This is quite reminiscent of the American aggression on Iraq, when the false accusation of “Saddam’s WMDs” was “magically” replaced by the “need to free the Iraqi people.” Namely, the focus is not on the supposed “Venezuelan drug lords smuggling narcotics into the US” (on boats, mind you).

As for the “return of American land, oil and assets,” it should be noted that those were illegally acquired (i.e., stolen) by Washington DC in a blatant (neo)colonial manner during the (First) Cold War and actually belong to the people of Venezuela. The late Hugo Chavez rightfully restored the country’s land and resources to their original owners, something that the US never forgot (or forgave). Trump will continue to pressure Venezuela into either rolling back the sovereigntist policies started under Chavez or as a preparation for a full-scale attack. At present, the Pentagon lacks the number of troops necessary to invade Venezuela directly, so large-scale attacks using various long-range precision munitions are the most likely scenario. This would probably include “Tomahawk” cruise missiles hitting critical infrastructure, most likely the remaining oil refineries.

The naval blockade itself is a massive problem for both Venezuela and its allies in the wider region, particularly Cuba, which relies on the Bolivarian Republic for most of its oil supplies. The blockade will strand close to a million barrels of oil per day, likely causing a price spike of $2-3. It also marks America’s sharp return to the infamous “gunboat diplomacy” framework, allowing it to enslave entire countries through military (specifically naval) coercion. In the case of Venezuela, this ranges from destroying alleged “drug boats” (for which the Pentagon has no idea who owns them) to stealing oil tankers. The calculus is clear – force Maduro to comply with Trump’s demands (which might not be final and could arbitrarily change along the way) or face economic and governmental collapse under the weight of the total naval blockade.

The only “good” (if there ever was any) that could possibly come out of all this is that the US will expose itself as a nation of thugs, highway robbers and pirates, demonstrating to the whole world that no sovereign country is safe and could easily be the next in line for “freedom and democracy.” For the time being, Trump is stopping short of a full-scale war, instead opting for a mix of economic, financial and continued military pressure on Caracas. Purely militarily speaking, Venezuela has the means to defend itself. Its Russian-built Su-30MK2 AMV multirole fighter jets provide a robust deterrent to direct US aggression, particularly due to a plethora of anti-ship and anti-radiation precision-guided munitions, specifically the subsonic Kh-35 and supersonic Kh-31P missiles. This could keep the US Navy at bay for some time, but it still doesn’t resolve the issue of the blockade itself.

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Drago Bosnic is an independent geopolitical and military analyst. He is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG).