2025 U.S. - Venezuela conflict

[Czech_pivo]

I think people underestimate just how hard it will be to bring Venezuela's oil infrastructure back into service. It was leaking everywhere in the 1990's when I was there and that was the era where it still worked. There has been zero investment in the sector since Chavez took over in 1999.

Even if the US was able to topple the current regime, it would have to secure the capital, secure the port cities, and the oil terminals and fight a guerrilla war against drug cartels and insurgents, both who would target remaining oil pipelines.

Never underestimate the ability of the US Government to take on more than it can handle.

 

[lenaitch]

To be accurate…

Fair. I was thinking of ones with kinetic intent and the same healthy respect for the 'laws of armed conflict' or rules of law when they encounter folks in border areas.

 

[MilEME09]

I for one can’t wait for the “no new wars” types to explain this away…

special military operation

 

[The Bread Guy]

Not really necessary. It can stage a regime change, prop up a new regime, and that regime steers the nation’s oil industry into public private partnerships with American companies, or something like that. Public U.S. spending that drives Venezuelan state investment back to U.S. public interests.

You mean, where "oil," read "bananas"?

 

[MilEME09]

Press Sec just basically said this was all directed by Trump and Secdef, well thats going to have legal implications if war crimes happened.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1995920719646224722

 

[ModlrMike]

There's zero chance that's going to haunt anyone. /sarcasm

 

[Maxman1]

AI arguing with AI, eh?

That actually might save everyone some time, and yield the same results as we're currently having!

Let's fire this thing up, Fishbone Jones replies with his usual MAGA talking points, we set up our centre and left-wing bots, the argument continues as it has since 2016 without significant traction in either direction, and we all go back to talking about Afghanistan gear load outs.

We might be onto something positive here...

Dead Internet theory - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Retired AF Guy]

Well, in spite of the worries about "all those drugs pouring in," I guess it'll depend on who's on POTUS47's naughty/nice list. For example, seems one big foreign-national drug dealer/facilitator got a bit of a solid recently ....

Trump’s pardon of Honduras’s ex-president shows counter-drug effort is ‘based on lies and hypocrisy’

Why has Trump blown up alleged narco boats in the Caribbean and at the same time decided to let a big time trafficker off the hook?

www.theguardian.com

Honduran ex-president Juan Orlando Hernández released from US prison after Trump pardon

Hernández was found guilty in March 2024 of conspiring to bring cocaine into the US, and of possessing machine guns.

www.bbc.com

... with at least one right-ish publication scratching its head ...

Why Is President Trump Pardoning a Notorious Convicted Drug Trafficker? | National Review

Another pardon that is just about impossible to defend on the merits.

www.nationalreview.com

... so who knows?

Well, Paul Krugman over at his substack may have a partial answer"

Trump: Pro-crypto or Pro-crime?

Or are they the same thing?

paulkrugman.substack.com