Do you know why the US is involved now? — frank

Trump wants more oil.

Trump wants more oil. — Metaphysician Undercover

I doubt it.

You don't recognize how Trump is obsessed with oil? "Drill, baby, drill." And, "We will export American energy all over the world." In Trump's mind, oil and power are equivalent. That's why he's mad at Europeans who buy Russian oil.

You don't recognize how Trump is obsessed with oil? "Drill, baby, drill." And, "We will export American energy all over the world." In Trump's mind, oil and power are equivalent. That's why he's mad at Europeans who buy Russian oil. — Metaphysician Undercover

Yea, but if he wanted oil from Venezuela, Trump would just publicly put a gun to Maduro's head and say "Give me a bunch of oil."

I think it's actually about drugs, and I suspect the agenda is coming from Vance. Time will tell which of us is right.

Two men, two goals, same means, kill two birds with one stone.

I do not think that, for whatever it's worth

I do not think that, for whatever it's worth — AmadeusD

It's happened though. What they used to do was loan money to developing nations and when they couldn't pay it back, the US would go in and re-organize their economies. The result was increased economic stratification. It was basically neoliberalism. What's odd is that the US backed Chavez and he was a socialist. The US claimed it was opposed to unconstitutional transitions of power, but that is utter BS. Chavez must have been easier to deal with than his opponent.

the US backed Chavez — frank

.........................................what....................................

They decidedly did not back Chavez at any time that I am even vaguely aware of, including his initial campaign, and supporting his ousting in 2002, becoming more hostile on his return two days later.

But the US warned Chavez about the 2002 coup. Isn't that support?

This is a bit confusing and I would agree with @AmadeusD that this isn't support, actually.

It's basically window dressing and an attempt to avoid criticism from other Latin American countries that the Bush administration got for recognizing the Carmona government when ultimately the coup attempt failed (as the Presidential Guard then saved Chavez and he regained power).

A failed coup attempt with angry Latin American countries isn't something the US wants to be attached to anyway. But this I wouldn't call support of the Chavez regime.

The Chavez/Maduro regime has been on the naughty list for a long while and Chavez himself accused, naturally (what else would a genuine populist do), many times of the US being behind every opposition action against his regime there has been in Venezuela.

I guess you're right.

I think it's actually about drugs... — frank

Check this:
President Donald Trump said Friday that he will be pardoning former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who in 2024 was convicted for drug trafficking and weapons charges and sentenced to 45 years in prison.

Trump says that Venezuelan aerospace is closed and now hinting on attacks on mainland Venezuela.

The ordinary issue would be now to attack Venezuelan air defenses and command centers. That would be the "conventional" way to attack a country (like in case of Libya/Serbia/Iraq/ran etc.

Now if it's really some drug labs ...some huts in middle of the jungle, then it's really peculiar, a real world "Clear and present"-movie. However, announcing the closure of Venezuelan aerospace hints that the US is anticipating going head to head against the Venezuelan air defenses.

Perhaps the Colombian president says what's the reality:

(CNN) Colombian President Gustavo Petro said in a new interview that oil is at the center of the Trump administration’s pressure campaign in Venezuela instead of the fight against narcotics.

“[Oil] is at the heart of the matter,” Petro told CNN in the interview, published Wednesday.

“So, that’s a negotiation about oil. I believe that is [President] Trump’s logic. He’s not thinking about the democratization of Venezuela, let alone the narco-trafficking,” the South American president, who last month was sanctioned by the Trump administration, added.

The U.S. has a history of intervening in resource-rich nations behind noble-sounding pretexts. From the oil fields of Iran to the copper mines of Chile, the agricultural lands of Guatemala, the oil reserves of Iraq and Libya, and the mineral wealth of the Congo and Indonesia, U.S. policy has time and again combined strategic interests with economic ambition. Often disguised as a fight against communism, terrorism or a humanitarian crisis, access to highly valued resources was always an important motive. Given its oil reserves and increasingly essential mineral deposits, Venezuela falls squarely within this historical pattern.

Abundant deposits of bauxite, coltan, gold and rare-earth minerals, which are now central to national security and global supply chains, are located in Venezuela, mainly in the southern part of the country. It is there that authority is weakest and armed groups are strongest. — CNN

Minerals makes sense. Not oil.

Minerals makes sense. Not oil. — frank

Actually trade makes far more sense that 19th Century imperialism.

Just look at Iraq. You would assume that because the US invaded the country, installed a government, that US Oil Companies would dominate the country. Well, even if they indeed are there, they hardly can be said to be dominating the place.

Largest oil fields where foreign companies are partnering to drill oil in Iraq :

1. Rumaila BP UK
2. Rumaila CNPC China
3. West Qurna Field Phase 1 Exxon US
4. West Qurna Field Phase 1 Shell UK
5. West Qurna Field Phase 2 Lukoil Russia
6. Majnoon Shell UK
7. Majnoon Petronas Malaysia
8. Zubair ENI Italy
9. Zubair Occidental US
10. Zubair KPRRM UK

So in the largest ten oilfields by production, there's TWO US oil companies. In the next ten oil fields, all are non-US companies.

Hence the idea of of going into a country and de facto colonizing it simply doesn't happen anymore. It's a hugely naive and delusional idea.

What has Trump here actually done? He has rattled his sabre and intervened on the sea. Then he has asked Maduro to leave the country. Maduro didn't budge. So, that's it. What then?

Occupying a large country that has 30 million people is a huge task, which doesn't make any sense.