The oil war between Russia and Saudi Arabia has set off chain reactions around the world, and Venezuelan dictator Nickolas Maduro could be collateral damage.
The South American country’s economy has been viscously contracting by upwards of 65 percent over the last seven years, and the country remains ill-prepared to handle the spread of COVID-19. But it’s Russian strongman Vladimir Putin that could upend Maduro’s stranglehold. After Russia and Saudi Arabia could not come to terms over crude oil production numbers, the market has been flooded. The value of crude recently dropped to an 18-year low at $24 per barrel, and it remains in a tailspin. Oil currently comprises about 98 percent of the Venezuelan economy, and the great Russian oil war has rendered it virtually worthless.
In the face of an unchecked global pandemic, Maduro’s regime approaches a critical breaking point. Russia and China had openly supported his power grip because he played ball with the superpowers. But financial aid may no longer be on the table. Both China and Russia face an economic crisis of her own.
“It will have signaled to the military that there is no finance coming in internationally without the opposition at the table,” Americas risk consultant at IHS Markit Diego Moya Ocampos reportedly said. “We’re talking about massive casualties from the coronavirus, the collapse of the health system, and a surge in civil unrest in the form of looting. If the military act, it will not be driven by altruistic efforts to restore democracy. It will be a matter of survival.”
But the Venezuelan military might not act as the bottom completely falls out of the economy, and the COVID-19 death toll rises. Talk of a U.S. military intervention to seat internationally-recognized President Juan Guaidó has been floated. President Donald Trump went as far as to have Guaidó acknowledged at the State of the Union address. And, U.S. Attorney General William Barr recently unsealed 14 criminal indictments against Maduro that include drug trafficking and narco-terrorism.
“Today we announce criminal charges against Nicolás Maduro Moros for running, together with his top lieutenants, a narco-terrorism partnership with the FARC for the past 20 years,” U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said. “The scope and magnitude of the drug trafficking alleged was made possible only because Maduro and others corrupted the institutions of Venezuela and provided political and military protection for the rampant narco-terrorism crimes described in our charges. As alleged, Maduro and the other defendants expressly intended to flood the United States with cocaine in order to undermine the health and wellbeing of our nation.”
We do not recognize Maduro as the president of Venezuela. Obviously, we indicted Noriega under similar circumstances. We did not recognize Noriega as the president of Panama,” A.G. Barr said. In 1986, the DOJ indicted Manuel Noriega and extricated him by force three years later.
It appears the oil war has sparked a series of geopolitical and economic events that now leave Maduro extremely vulnerable to a civil uprising from within or a U.S. strike force hauling him off to prison.
Maduro will never be brought to trial and Barr knows that. Where are the indictments for Hillary and all the other swamp creatures? That’s what we really want to see, but obviously that is not going to happen.
indict, not endite; spelling is our friend!! 😉
Hillary is no longer dangerous. Maduro is.
The Clinton’s, Obama’s, Pelosi, Schumer’s are all dangerous people who want total power for themselves and do not care about anyone else.
The people of Venezuela are under narco rule the virus that’s killing our planet and all the people on it the Venezuelan people will be dieing by the thousands no health system there we cannot take care of the entire planrd world countries et so millions in 3rd world countries will die let’s concentrate on getting this virus under control in our own backyard and do the indicments for all these political criminal later…….God help us all…….:)(:
I believe China has a Cure for the Coronavirus and has implemented into the World in order to stop President Trump from making America greater than ever before hopefully the assholes in Congress will see it for what it is
and stop the PC Liberal Socialism Democrats from destroying USA.
“Soros” a big financial trouble maker for the US. He claims to be an open Society but hides? Can you imagine if we threw Soros in prison and seized his assets as an enemy of the United States today? What would the Democrats do? Lets see this unrepentant godless man funded money into Crooked Hillary’s 2016 campaign; funded illegals caravans on the southern border; funding the DNC 2020 campaign and now Corona virus…Maduro is a dictator & no doubt needs to be removed! But Soros is direct trouble here on US soil using our “Liberties” to damage the US..He needs to be crushed NOW!