LOS ANGELES (OC).-_President Donald Trump raised the question of Venezuela becoming the 51st state after he arrested former President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores Jan. 3. Maduro had ruled Venezuela since March 5, 2013 after Venezuela dictator Hugo Chavez die on the same date. Chavez confiscated all U.S. oil assets Feb 26, 2007, nationizing the Venezuelan oil industry only five years after taking office April 14, 2002. Chavez allied himself closey with Cuba’s Fidel Castro, holding close political ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Once Chavez confiscated billions in U.S. oil assets, diplomatic relations with the U.S. deteriorate, up until Trump captured Maduro in one of the most clandestine joint CIA and U.S. Speical Forces raid in U.S. history. Now that Trump has reestablished strong ties with Venezuela under interim President Delcy Rodriguez he’s now questions about Venezuela statehood.
Since toppling Maduro, Rodriguez has had cooperative relations with Trump, expanding U.S. involvement in the oil industry, lifting all sanctions, and assuring Venezuela economic proposerity with U.S. involvement in its oil industry. Rodriguez told Trump that Venezuela remains an independent, sovereign nation and its intends to stay that way. “We will continue to defend our integrity, or sovereignty, our independence, our history,” Rodriguez said at the International Court of Justice at The Hague. Rodriguez said Venezuela is “not a colony, but a free country,” letting Trump know that she has no problems trading with the United States but wants to maintain its sovereignty. Since taking office, Trump has been talking about taking over Greenland and, more recently, Trump has been talking with Cuba about liberating the country from over 60 years of communist rule
.
Rodriguez told The Hague that she plans to defend he country’s independence and sovereignty, despite Trump’s overtures to become a 51st state. “We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump said in January. “ We want peace, liberty and justice for the great people of Venezuela,” Trump said, though not saying he wanted to annex the country. Relations with the U.S. and Venezuela changed dramatically since Trump arrested Maduro back in January. Rodriguez has no problem cooperating with the U.S. State Department to open up the oil industry to U.S. companies once ousted by Chavez from Venezuela. Trump doesn’t need to annex Venezuela only to develop closer business ties with the oil industry. White House Asst. Press Secretary Olivai Whales said U.S. relations with Venezuela could not be closer.
Trump wanted to restore to the U.S. oil industry in Venezuela to increase U.S. energy independence, certainly from the Persian Gulf where Trump finds himself embroiled in a war with Iran. Iran has made many demands to end the war, including asking the U.S. to pay war reparations and to recognize Iran’s sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz. Trump, not on an official visit to see Xi Jinping in China, won’t make any decisions on Iran until after his China visit. Trump must decide whether or not Islamabad talks have failed to get a peace deal with Iran. Trump said that if Iran doesn’t sign onto a peace deal he would be force ro resume bombing Iran’s oil infrastructure. Iran has given Trump no reason to continue the ceasefire, making unrealistic demands to end the over eight week old conflict. World oil market continue in chaos with the current conflict.
Today’s alarming report on U.S. inflation indicates that the Iran War pushe inflation to the worst levels since the Covid pandemic. Trump hoped that by this time in his term inflation would be under control and the economy would be rolling. Ending the Iran war hasn’t worked because Iran is in full terrorist state, doing everything possible to show it’s still in control of its sovereignty. Weeks of taking a military beating, Iran is in a weakened state, now resorting to the most crass terrorist activities to maintain control of its sovereignty. Returning to bombing Iran prolongs the conflict, especially the effect on worldwide oil prices, creating skyrocketing price and shortages. Trump finds himself caught between a rock-and-a-hard-place deciding to prolong the war or find some compromise on the nuclear issue. Iran wants to deal with the nuclear issue after a long-term peace agreement.
When Trump returns from China, he’ll have to decide whether to resume the war or continue on the Islamabad peace process. Iran can continue to stonewall the peace process by rejecting Trump’s peace plan. So, when it comes to restarting the war, it could have disastrous consequences for financial markets, especially worldwide oil prices. If Iran doesn’t accept basic terms of a realistic peace deal, then Trump may have no choice but to continue prosecuting the war until Iran gets more serious in Islamabad. Trump will not accept Iran’s sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz or war reparations. So, when it comes to a peace deal, the ball is Iran’s court to figure out how to end the over eight-week conflict. When it comes to Venezuela, it’s exactly the outcome Trump envisoned, renewing cooperation for U.S. oil companies to benefit from trade with Venezuela.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
