The US and Venezuela: a century-old relationship drenched in oil
The relationship between the US and Venezuela has been historically defined by oil interests, shifting from cooperation to adversarial tensions. Recent developments, including US control over Venezuelan oil reserves, continue this century-long pattern of energy-focused diplomacy.
Why it matters
Understanding the historical and economic ties between the US and Venezuela is essential for analyzing current geopolitical tensions and energy security policies.
Venezuela’s importance to the US has been proven time and time again over the past century. Composite: Prina Shah for the Guardian/AP/AFP/Getty Images A visual look at how Washington’s relationship with Caracas has gone from cordial to ‘predatory’
Trump ally defends Venezuela oil deal amid ‘gunpoint diplomacy’ criticism
Prefer the Guardian on Google W ritten in the middle of the last century, the US Department of State memo conveys its message in a curt and undiplomatically honest tone: the glue that binds Washington to Caracas is, and is always likely to be, oil.
“All US policies toward Venezuela are affected in greater or less degree by the objective of assuring an adequate supply of petroleum for the US,” the 1950 document reads.
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