The Guardian view on Donald Trump’s oil deal: Venezuela pays for his vanity | Editorial
The US president seized a nation’s natural wealth in a modern-day version of gunboat diplomacy to feed his ego – not to lower Americans’ fuel bills Imperialism does not require a flag to be planted or a governor dispatched. It can be a powerful nation deciding who governs a smaller, weaker country, and on what terms and for whose benefit its resources will be developed. Donald Trump’s kidnapping…
The US president Donald Trump has seized Venezuela's natural wealth in a modern-day version of gunboat diplomacy to boost his ego rather than lower Americans' fuel bills. Imperialism doesn't require a flag or a governor; it can be a powerful country deciding who governs a smaller, weaker nation on its own terms and for its benefit.
Trump's takeover of Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro, replacing him with his deputy Delcy Rodríguez, and signing a deal to hand over a fifth of the country's proven oil reserves to the US, is a modern-day version of 19th-century gunboat diplomacy. Regime change, in this case, supplied America's commercial concession. This decision by Trump may not bother him, but it should.
The US president has overstated his neocolonial spoils. The additional production Venezuela is expected to bring online could potentially reduce oil prices, but not anytime soon. Crucially, what Trump calls the "biggest oil deal in history" won't cause the price at the pump to fall before November's midterms. With many American voters struggling to pay energy bills, it's hard to see how unrealized Orinoco Belt riches will help Republican candidates.
Written by urgent.news from The Guardian US's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
