Eight Months After Maduro's Capture, Venezuela's Oil Boom Has Outrun Latin America's Sovereignty Debate
When Colombian former President Gustavo Petro convened an emergency CELAC session in the first week of January, the assumption in most South American foreign ministries was that the region would answer the United States with one voice. Eight months later, the answer is still fragmented — and Venezuela's oil is flowing north at a rate not seen in two decades.
Eight months after Nicolás Maduro was captured, Venezuela's oil production has surged beyond the expectations of Latin America's sovereignty discussions. The operation that ousted Maduro initially began as a counter-narcotics effort by the United States. The captured leader was transported to the US under Operation Southern Spear, an anti-drug initiative that later evolved into a regime-change operation.
The legal basis for the US operation is a point of contention among South American nations. While the UN Charter's prohibition on the use of force remains intact, it is increasingly viewed as a flexible guideline. This has left regional institutions, such as the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), without a unified stance on how to respond to the US intervention.
Colombia's former President Gustavo Petro convened an emergency CELAC meeting in early January, but no joint declaration was produced. While most countries expressed concern over the unilateral military action, there were divergent reactions. Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Uruguay condemned the strikes as a "serious affront to the sovereignty of Venezuela," while others, like Uruguay's President Javier Milei, welcomed the outcome, seeing it as beneficial for the free world.
The commercial impact of the US-controlled oil has been significant. As of January 2026, Venezuela's oil output has reached approximately 1.25 million barrels per day, with over 500,000 bpd being consumed by US refineries. This represents a substantial increase in both exported volumes and fuel output. In 2026, it is estimated that the United States has collected over US$13 billion in oil revenue from Venezuela, a marked increase from the US$3 billion authorized in April.
The geopolitical ramifications of this oil boom extend beyond the immediate economic gains. The normalization of Venezuelan oil sales under US administration has created a situation where the country's export policy is now controlled by a foreign entity, without any treaty, vote, or regional oversight mechanism. This shift poses challenges for South America's economic integration efforts, such as Mercosur's negotiations with the European Union and the development of energy corridors.
The absence of a collective regional response to the US intervention highlights a fundamental challenge for Latin America: the inability to build a cohesive approach to navigate multipolar dynamics without shared rules. As the region grapples with this disorder, Venezuela serves as a case study of the complexities that arise when multipolarity lacks unified governance.
This analysis underscores the broader implications for the balance of power across the Americas, as Latin American nations navigate the implications of US-controlled oil resources.
Written by urgent.news from MercoPress's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
