World War 3 Thread

[blessingx]

'Weeks earlier, U.S. officials had already settled on an acceptable candidate to replace Mr. Maduro, at least for the time being: Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, who had impressed Trump officials with her management of Venezuela’s crucial oil industry.

The people involved in the discussions said intermediaries persuaded the administration that she would protect and champion future American energy investments in the country.

“I’ve been watching her career for a long time, so I have some sense of who she is and what she’s about,” said one senior U.S. official, referring to Ms. Rodríguez.

“I’m not claiming that she’s the permanent solution to the country’s problems, but she’s certainly someone we think we can work at a much more professional level than we were able to do with him,” the official added, referring to Mr. Maduro.

It was an easy choice, the people said. Mr. Trump had never warmed up to the Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who had organized a winning presidential campaign in 2024, earning her the Nobel Peace Prize this year. Since Mr. Trump’s re-election, Ms. Machado has gone out of her way to please him, calling him a “champion of freedom,” mimicking his talking points on election fraud in the United States and even dedicating her Peace Prize to him.

It was in vain. On Saturday, Mr. Trump said he would accept Ms. Rodríguez, saying that Ms. Machado lacked the “respect” needed to govern Venezuela.

U.S. officials say that their relationship with Ms. Rodríguez’s interim government will be based on her ability to play by their rules, adding that they reserve the right to take additional military action if she fails to respect America’s interests. Despite Ms. Rodríguez’s public condemnation of the attack, a senior U.S. official said that it was too soon to draw conclusions about what her approach would be and that the administration remained optimistic that they could work with her.

...

For all her technocratic leanings, Ms. Rodríguez has never denounced the brutal repression and corruption sustaining Mr. Maduro’s rule, once calling her decision to join the government an act of “personal revenge” for her father’s death in prison in 1976, after being interrogated by intelligence agents from pro-U.S. governments.'

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/04/world/americas/trump-venezuela-leader-rodriguez-machado.html?smid=url-share 

Edited Sunday at 07:10 PM by blessingx

[Knuckledragger]

*adjusts tinfoil hat*  It's not just about stealing Venezuelan oil (and whatever other natural resources that are a bonus).  What we're seeing here is an attempt to "stabilize" the world's oil market using Venezuela as a buffer when we destabilize things by attacking Iran.

[Craig Sawyers]

Lets not forget the Henry Kissinger got the Nobel Peace Prize after destabilising Chile under the socialist government of Allende, and putting in August Pinochet - a torturing, disappearances human abusing right wing dictator.

And Chile was a whole lot further from the USA than Venezuela.

Slight personal recollection. My Dad was in the Merchant Navy the early/mid 50's to mid 60's in (by today's standard) tiny oil tankers. The ship used to dock at Punta Cardon in North Venezuela to the oil refinery there.

So Venezuelan oil was a thing way back

[blessingx]

Trump renews push to annex Greenland after Venezuela strike
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/01/04/greenland-trump-venezuela/88018306007/ 

[blessingx]

7 hours ago, blessingx said:

'Weeks earlier, U.S. officials had already settled on an acceptable candidate to replace Mr. Maduro, at least for the time being: Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, who had impressed Trump officials with her management of Venezuela’s crucial oil industry.

The people involved in the discussions said intermediaries persuaded the administration that she would protect and champion future American energy investments in the country.

“I’ve been watching her career for a long time, so I have some sense of who she is and what she’s about,” said one senior U.S. official, referring to Ms. Rodríguez.

“I’m not claiming that she’s the permanent solution to the country’s problems, but she’s certainly someone we think we can work at a much more professional level than we were able to do with him,” the official added, referring to Mr. Maduro.

It was an easy choice, the people said. Mr. Trump had never warmed up to the Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who had organized a winning presidential campaign in 2024, earning her the Nobel Peace Prize this year. Since Mr. Trump’s re-election, Ms. Machado has gone out of her way to please him, calling him a “champion of freedom,” mimicking his talking points on election fraud in the United States and even dedicating her Peace Prize to him.

It was in vain. On Saturday, Mr. Trump said he would accept Ms. Rodríguez, saying that Ms. Machado lacked the “respect” needed to govern Venezuela.

U.S. officials say that their relationship with Ms. Rodríguez’s interim government will be based on her ability to play by their rules, adding that they reserve the right to take additional military action if she fails to respect America’s interests. Despite Ms. Rodríguez’s public condemnation of the attack, a senior U.S. official said that it was too soon to draw conclusions about what her approach would be and that the administration remained optimistic that they could work with her.

...

For all her technocratic leanings, Ms. Rodríguez has never denounced the brutal repression and corruption sustaining Mr. Maduro’s rule, once calling her decision to join the government an act of “personal revenge” for her father’s death in prison in 1976, after being interrogated by intelligence agents from pro-U.S. governments.'

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/04/world/americas/trump-venezuela-leader-rodriguez-machado.html?smid=url-share 

 

Trump told The Atlantic on Sunday that Rodriguez could face a fate similar to Maduro, who is being detained in federal prison in New York on narcoterrorism and drug trafficking charges, if she doesn’t align with U.S. interests.

“If she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro,” Trump said.

The comment marks a stark reversal from Trump’s praise of Rodriguez in a press conference Saturday following the attack. The president said U.S. officials had spoken with Rodriguez, and reported that “she’s essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again.”

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/04/trump-warns-acting-venezuelan-leader-00710314 

[naamanf]

[Craig Sawyers]

Ha ha. Baron Trump-konnen.

Similar fatness, similar colonial intents with force, taking possession of areas for natural resources, similar survival of assassination attempt(s).

[Pars]

7 hours ago, Craig Sawyers said:

similar survival of assassination attempt(s).

I'll take Things that never happened for $500 Alex...

[Knuckledragger]

So, funny thing...

 

[blessingx]

Was so last week...

Justice Dept. Drops Claim That Venezuela’s ‘Cartel de los Soles’ Is an Actual Group

Last year, before capturing President Nicolás Maduro, the Trump administration designated a Venezuelan slang term for drug corruption in the military as a terrorist organization and said he led it.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/us/trump-venezuela-drug-cartel-de-los-soles.html?unlocked_article_code=1.CVA.zRgG.g6wk2FuZKAY4&smid=url-share (gift article)

Edited 2 hours ago by blessingx

[Knuckledragger]

Reports of gunfire near Venezuela’s presidential palace.

File under: Rorge; Ruh-roh.