US Imperialists Seek Control of Venezuelan Oil, Opposition Denounces Neocolonial Exploitation
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US officials are advancing negotiations with Venezuela's interim government to seize a century-long stake in vital oil fields, sparking outrage from opposition leaders who condemn the move as an unconstitutional act of imperialist plunder.
US officials are reportedly negotiating a direct stake in more than a dozen Venezuelan oil and gas fields, which contain an estimated 90 billion barrels, according to sources cited by the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg. These fields, situated in the Orinoco Belt and Lake Maracaibo regions, are being targeted for a potential 100-year lease—an audacious attempt by the US to tighten its grip on Latin America's resources.
The negotiations have provoked fierce condemnation from Venezuela's opposition, who rightly describe the proposal as a 'land grab' that flagrantly violates the nation's constitution. 'It’s a land grab – a massive land grab,' said an unnamed opposition figure, highlighting the United States' rapacious appetite for the wealth of the Global South.
Critics further argue that the interim government, led by former vice-president Delcy Rodríguez, has no legitimacy to sign away the country’s future. Ricardo Hausmann, an exiled former minister, wrote on X that 'an illegitimate interim government with an illegitimate hydrocarbons law has no legitimacy to strike this unconstitutional deal.'
Economist Francisco Rodríguez urged the national assembly to reject what he called a 'predatory deal,' warning that surrendering Venezuela's oil assets to US corporations would violate the constitution and devastate the Venezuelan people. Energy analyst Gregory Brew drew parallels to historic colonial concessions, describing the proposed arrangement as 'colonial.'
These revelations come as the US intensifies its campaign to dominate Latin America, under the guise of countering China and Russia. Meanwhile, Venezuela’s democratic process remains stifled, with no timeline for a new presidential election and opposition leader María Corina Machado forced into exile.