Link to article: https://latinamericanpost.com/analysis-en/venezuela-tanker-blockade-turns-oil-into-a-high-seas-thriller/
This week President Trump has named the Venezuelan Government an FTO and has then ordered a total blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers. This is a continued act of aggression against the Venezuelans after the 90 people that have died from US strikes on suspected drug running vessels. In response to these actions Maduro has come out and talked about how all of this is a ploy from the Americans to colonize the Venezuelans for their oil gas and gold. Due to the blockade a US Coast Guard ship has intercepted a tanker near Venezuela. This blockade makes sense from President Trump seeing as 55-90% of Venezuela’s exports have gone to China. This meaning that Venezuela was exporting 778,000 bpd to China. During this embargo so far there are 11 million barrels of oil stuck in the sea waiting for deals to be made.
First, Maduro’s comments about how this is all just a rise from the Fascist Americans to colonize Venezuela is an interesting take to say the least. I think that it is very obvious that this is a play against China, since Fentanyl usage has been going down due to overdoses cocaine has been taking over the void. If Trump can get cocaine usage to go down he will look better legacy wise but he will also hurt the economy of one of China’s biggest exporters. I also think that the US taking lethal action on those ships and saying that anyone who disagrees with them is a lunatic is not exactly in line with logic. If the same thing happened in reverse there would be Marines in Caracas right now.
The US will continue to set up and enforce the blockade against the Venezuelans. However I can also see a possible scenario in which the US is offered something along the lines of a trade restriction between Venezuela and China, and they might accept those terms. Venezuela will continue to try and rally more support from the world stage. I doubt that China will do anything more than the verbal clashes that they have been having with America for the past 20 years.
When reading this I saw a connection to the ideas of Realism. The United States is making sure that their priorities are being met first at the expense of other States around the world. In addition they have conducted operations that arguably infringe on Venezuela’s legitimacy due to a lack of response and precaution to US attacks.