Spurring conflict: Venezuela and the US thirst for foreign oil

For Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, knowing the world's largest craft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford, is disconnected his seashore can't beryllium a bully feeling. And portion immoderate would invited the subject overthrow of a antheral they see an authoritarian, others spot US imperialism astatine work, motivated by Venezuela having the largest proven lipid reserves successful the world.

In 2015, the Peace Research Institute Oslo noted however "oil-thirsty" nations are much than doubly arsenic apt to intervene successful a civilian warfare successful an oil-producing state, than an oil-exporting state is apt to intervene successful a state that lacks oil. And portion lipid isn't ever the sole motivating origin for a subject intervention, it often plays a large role.

In 1953, for example, the CIA and MI6 helped topple the democratically elected premier curate of Iran, Mohammad Mosaddegh. It followed Mossadegh's determination to nationalise the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, present British Petroleum.

During the Iran-Iraq warfare successful the 1980s, the US sided with Iraq and besides protected lipid shipments successful the Gulf. The US saw the struggle arsenic an accidental to support Iran successful check, portion it ensured the lipid kept flowing.

With Operation Desert Storm successful 1991, the US intervened successful Kuwait to expel Iraq's occupying forces arsenic good arsenic support Saudi Arabia. Both Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are large lipid producers. Again, lipid was wide seen arsenic a US strategical interest.

In 2002, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez survived a coup. The US is accused of giving its tacit support by failing to forestall the coup contempt knowing astir it successful advance. Again, critics blamed an American thirst for oil.

A twelvemonth later, successful the aftermath of 9/11, the US invaded Iraq, citing Saddam Hussein's weapons of wide destruction. They were ne'er found. While the US promoted the dispersed of ideology arsenic a motive for the war, it was aboriginal revealed that the US had drawn up plans for Iraq's oil.

Then successful 2011, the US and the UK launched the opening rocket salvoes that would assistance NATO overthrow the person Muammar Gaddafi successful Libya. It was done nether a UN solution to support civilians, but radical similar Dina Mansour-Ille, astatine the Royal United Services Institute, enactment it "raises questions arsenic to wherefore the planetary assemblage responded truthful rapidly and forcefully successful the oil-rich nation".

Today, US forces are massing disconnected the seashore of Venezuela, with the Trump medication insisting it's astir curtailing the travel of amerciable drugs. Critics stay unconvinced. Instead, they spot different oil-rich state astir to beryllium subjected to yet different US subject intervention.