https://sputnikglobe.com/20260103/us-strikes-on-venezuela-oil-grab--latin-america-fear-tactics---analyst-1123411106.html
US Strikes on Venezuela: Oil Grab & Latin America Fear Tactics - Analyst
US Strikes on Venezuela: Oil Grab & Latin America Fear Tactics - Analyst
Sputnik International
US strikes echo the imperial playbook: “seize control of weaker nations' natural resources with no regard for international law,” Dr. Vinicius Vieira, associate professor of economics and international relations at the AAPF.
2026-01-03T13:24+0000
2026-01-03T13:24+0000
2026-01-03T13:25+0000
analysis
venezuela
marco rubio
us
colombia
latin america
nicolas maduro
regime change
oil
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While the main objective of US strikes is to get control of Venezuela’s vast oil reserves, “regime change may happen, but not necessarily with a transition towards a Western-style democratic liberal system,” notes Dr. Vinicius Vieira, who is also a lecturer in international relations at the Getúlio Vargas Foundation (Brazil). The US is also selling the message that any Latin American country could have a target on its back if America decides it wants to exploit its natural resources, he explains. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who reportedly pushed for a harder line on Maduro, may have been a key driver of the attack—shaped by his Florida roots, where any left-wing government is seen as a threat per se, Dr. Vieira emphasizes. While Rubio may reap certain political benefits, US interests in the region may suffer, turning away leaders like Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro and Brazil’s President Lula da Silva, speculates the analyst. “Will the US reign it its imperialist ambitions targeting Brazil, Colombia, for instance?” Dr. Vieira queries, and adds that the US appears determined to “fulfill its goals at any cost, even with deaths and the clear violation of international law.”
https://sputnikglobe.com/20260103/double-barreled-us-agenda-of-venezuela-strikes-regime-change--resource-grab---analyst-1123409160.html
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us venezuela strikes, us operation in venezuela, caribbean tensions, us wants venezuela's resources
us venezuela strikes, us operation in venezuela, caribbean tensions, us wants venezuela's resources
US Strikes on Venezuela: Oil Grab & Latin America Fear Tactics - Analyst
13:24 GMT 03.01.2026 (Updated: 13:25 GMT 03.01.2026) The strikes, coinciding with the 1990 US ouster of Panama’s Noriega, echo the old imperial playbook: “seize control of weaker nations' natural resources with no regard for international law,” Dr. Vinicius Vieira, associate professor of economics and international relations at the Armando Alvares Penteado Foundation, tells Sputnik.
While the main objective of
US strikes is to get control of Venezuela’s vast
oil reserves, “regime change may happen, but not necessarily with a transition towards a Western-style democratic liberal system,” notes
Dr. Vinicius Vieira, who is also a lecturer in international relations at the Getúlio Vargas Foundation (Brazil).
The US is also selling the message that any Latin American country could have a target on its back if America decides it wants to exploit its natural resources, he explains.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who reportedly pushed for a harder line on Maduro, may have been a key driver of the attack—shaped by his Florida roots, where any left-wing government is seen as a threat per se, Dr. Vieira emphasizes.
While Rubio may reap certain political benefits, US interests in the region may suffer, turning away leaders like Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro and Brazil’s President Lula da Silva, speculates the analyst.
“Will the US reign it its imperialist ambitions targeting Brazil, Colombia, for instance?” Dr. Vieira queries, and adds that the US appears determined to “fulfill its goals at any cost, even with deaths and the clear violation of international law.”
