U.S. launches military strikes on Venezuela, Trump says Maduro captured and flow

[mowens]

Now that we've taken care of the Venezuelan drug problem, maybe Putin cab take.care of those pesky Nazis in Ukraine.

Righteous, baby!

[gcode]

I think a major part of this was telling China to stay out of our back yard, kind of a Monroe Doctrine 2.0.
Maduro and some high level Chinese diplomates had a meeting yesterday. Maduro was assured China had his back
and all was well.
Several hours later, the Chinese diplomats were in de facto house arrest at their hotel and Maduro was in cuffs and a
blindfold on his way to New York and a life sentence in a Colorado SuperMax.

[gcode]

those pesky Nazis in Ukraine

those pesky Nazis in Ukraine are bleeding mother Russia white....and that is a hard job that desperately needs doing.

[TylerBeer]

This is going to be so expensive.

[CNCAppsJames]

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[mowens]

those pesky Nazis in Ukraine are bleeding mother Russia white....and that is a hard job that desperately needs doing.

I'm not sure my sarcasm came through. We're doing the same thing Russia is doing.

[CNCAppsJames]

I'm not sure my sarcasm came through. We're doing the same thing Russia is doing.

The only differences are that we aren't emptying our jails for conscripts to take over Venzuela, and we aren't gonna go scorched earth on Venezuela either.

I DO kinda in a guilty pleasure kind of way like how leaders in Cuba and Mexico are re-thinking their life choices right now though.


I mean since the world thinks we're bullies... we may as well REALLY act the part... no?



On a serious note... can we PLEASE learn from history and not install puppets, not meddle in their elections, and just do some good for a change FFS? I know it's a big ask, and I KNOW the CIA can't help themselves. Given half a chance they will screw up something that potentially be a good thing for Venezuela, the region, AND the US EVERY. TIME.

If I'm gonna dream, it may as well be a BIG dream.

[Newbeeee™]

Oil... meh... it's an added benefit, but REAL deal is the rare earth minerals. Keeping China and Russia from getting hold of it was the real deal. We ceded Africa to China.. like morons so really we're backed into a corner. Venezuela just happened to be ripe for the picking. We had good relations in the past, I think we can do them some good, and they can do us some strategic good.

Hmmmm.... gotta take 3 steps back and look at the world picture IMHO.
Remember Afghanistan, with the billions of dollars worth of rare-earth minerals?
Who could forget the withdrawal shit-show, where the rumour was "it's all been left for the Chinese to extract"....

After the U.S. military withdrawal in 2021, Chinese firms have engaged with the Taliban government on mining and energy deals — mostly exploratory or preliminary agreements. Chinese companies have secured some contracts for oil, gold and copper projects.
Malay Mail

Some reports say Chinese firms control a substantial share of the mining concessions and are poised to extract minerals, with much of output likely exported to China because Afghanistan lacks refining capacity.
Rare Earth Exchanges

And

What China actually has:

Dominance in processing/refining, not ownership of all minerals
~60–70% of global rare-earth processing
~80–90% of refining for key battery materials (lithium, cobalt, graphite)
Long-term overseas deals (Africa, South America, parts of Asia)
State-backed strategy: mining + refining + manufacturing + export control

So my take is without doubt, USA muscle secured Afghanistan, and then it was given to the Chinese to extract.
Because we all rely on them for everything, that is volume produced.

[Newbeeee™]

This is going to be so expensive.

That's okay - in 6 years time we'll all own nothing.
But be happy.

[Newbeeee™]

Mmmmmm.... not exactly.  Iraq was never about oil. The sheeple thought it was, but it was never about the oil. We get 🤏 oil from them at the most. There were other geopolitical things in play that were a bigger influence.

1% daily usage is imported. Apparently.
This is interesting though - on who today controls the Iraq oil fields:-

🔹 Rumaila Oil Field

Operated under a consortium led by BP (British) and PetroChina (Chinese), along with Iraq's state company Basra Oil Company.

Rumaila is Iraq's largest oilfield, producing a significant portion of the country's total oil.
Wikipedia
+1

🔹 West Qurna Fields

Historically developed with ExxonMobil and Shell, but Exxon exited West Qurna 1 in 2024 and control shifted to PetroChina and Basra Oil Company.
JPT
+1

West Qurna 2 is operated by Russia's Lukoil, a major non-Western company with about 75 % stake, and the rest with Iraq's state company — though there are reports of Exxon seeking to take over that stake under new negotiations.
Reuters

🔹 Zubair Oil Field

Operated by ENI (Italy) with partners.
Wikipedia

🔹 Majnoon Oil Field

Denizfield operators vary, but foreign investment and partnerships have included ExxonMobil returning under newer agreements.
JPT

🔹 Other Firms

Other international companies involved in various capacities include (but aren't limited to):

TotalEnergies (France) — involved in oil/gas projects and expansions

Shell — present on some projects or legacy contracts

Pertamina (Indonesia) and Itochu (Japan) — partners in some fields

QatarEnergy — partner with TotalEnergies on some Gulf projects
EITI

[CNCAppsJames]

1st and foremost our government failed on numerous fronts with regard to Afghanistan.  It IS the graveyard of empires and has been for probably millenia. Our hubris in thinking our western ways of doing government were even going to work in a tribal society were absurd.  Stacks of MBA's brought that good idea fairy to the battlespace where it died the greusome tragic death it deserved... unfortunately the good idea fairies and their MBA bearing daddies and mommies didn't die along with it... instead the very best of our warrior class did.

2nd, the good idea fairies failed to listen to historians and people that had a good handle on how NOT to rebuild a nation. Hubris again.

3rd, China is about to put on a clinic in how to get what they want out of Afghanistan without giving up an assload of blood and treasure for it... possibly. 

Now... if we can keep our grimy mitts out of the inner workings of Venezuela's government business, bring in technical expertise, train whatever talent they have AND keep them all safe, we may be able to pull something off. The main problem for us is the grimy mitts thing. The CIA just can't help itself and it's a rogue agency.

We shall see. This situation is hours old and barely in it's infancy. Too early to really know anything of substance other than we have Maduro in custody and their VP is running the country for now.

[Newbeeee™]

1st and foremost our government failed on numerous fronts with regard to Afghanistan. 

Dude - that's your perspective from you running your country.
This is and looks to have been,way bigger now for a long time.
It was obviously a total success from the decision makers side, because that's why they did it.

Back to Venezuela - I lolled as there's now a crap-ton of reports surfacing regarding smartmatic etc being ran from there....

[CNCAppsJames]

Dude - that's your perspective from you running your country.
This is and looks to have been,way bigger now for a long time.
It was obviously a total success from the decision makers side, because that's why they did it.

Back to Venezuela - I lolled as there's now a crap-ton of reports surfacing regarding smartmatic etc being ran from there....

NOBODY ANYWHERE inside the US or out thinks Afghanistan was any sort of success letvalone "total". Short of killing OBL... . I dunno where you get that info from. I think maybe Twatter has finally rot your brain to the core my friend. AlGoresRythm has you pegged.  

"Now a crap ton of reports..." and like all first reports... they are crap. A TON of crap.

 

[Newbeeee™]

NOBODY ANYWHERE inside the US or out thinks Afghanistan was any sort of success letvalone "total". Short of killing OBL... . I dunno where you get that info from. I think maybe Twatter has finally rot your brain to the core my friend. AlGoresRythm has you pegged.

"Now a crap ton of reports..." and like all first reports... they are crap. A TON of crap.

Nope. This isn't about Nasty Russia or Nasty Murrica anymore.
That's all smoke and mirrors - it's a side show to keep the masses talking.
While BigCorp (aka Vanguard) controls and runs everything

Post 22 says the success Afghanistan was - China is already there.
Exactly as was said at the time - USA secures it, then leaves it to China

Patriotism will have lost.
BUT the important thing is BigCorp wins
 

[CNCAppsJames]

The idiot MBA's at alphabet soup and where ever else policy is crafted believed with every fiber of their being that if they gave Afghanistan "Democracy" they would love us forever. If we built enough schools for girls, they would love us forever.  If we gave them electricity, and all the other modern conveniences we enjoy, they would love us forever. That may have been true in Kabul and other population centers... for like 5 minutes, but in the 99.9% of it's land mass, they DGAF what Kabul says. Their tribal chief is who they listen to. The idiots also believed with every fiber of their being that they could tame the graveyard of empires and do all the things they wanted. The reality is we imposed or attempted to impose OUR will on them, and that NEVER ends well ANYWHERE... unless of course you're a brutal dictator/King and you let your demon seed children and "warriors" go to the citizenry's weddings and rape the brides. Scotland and Iraq wouldn't know anything about that though now would they? 

Those who fail to study history are doomed to repeat it. Hence why the Bernie Sanders crowd clamor for Socialism. "OH, it will be better this time, we promise. Give us your guns and you'll see."