Why the US attacked Venezuela: oil, sanctions and Maduro
De VS stelde de illegale aanval op Venezuela aanvankelijk voor als een operatie om de autoritaire president Maduro af te zetten in het kader van de oorlog tegen drugs. Maar het duurde niet lang voordat president Donald Trump een veel lucratiever motief onthulde: de enorme aardoliereserves van Venezuela.
In de vroege ochtend van zaterdag 3 januari 2026 vielen Amerikaanse troepen locaties in de Venezolaanse hoofdstad Caracas aan en namen ze de president van het land, Nicolás Maduro, en zijn vrouw Cilia Flores gevangen. Ze werden naar New York overgevlogen waar ze zullen moeten terechtstaan op beschuldiging van ‘drugshandel en terrorisme’. President Trump heeft aangekondigd dat vanaf nu de VS Venezuela zal ‘besturen’. Een analyse door de Britse NGO Global Witness.
Many would argue it’s a good thing that Maduro is no longer in power: he has an extensive record of human rights abuses and the Venezuelan economy is in crisis.
But this illegal attack was not designed to help Venezuelans determine their own future and control their own resources. Trump attacked Venezuela to get the country’s oil.
Now he’s proven that he can (and will) use the US’s military might to get what he wants. Officials in Greenland, Cuba and Mexico will be watching the aftermath carefully to see whether this operation could turn into a broader pattern, and how Trump’s stated ambitions for their own countries could play out.
Why did Trump attack Venezuela?
In a word: oil. Venezuela has the world’s largest proven crude oil reserves, with an estimated 303 billion barrels lying in the ground – making up around a fifth of all proven crude reserves in the world.
Yet, in recent decades, Venezuela’s oil production has dropped dramatically. In 2008, Venezuela was counted among the top 10 oil producers in the world, with nearly 3 million barrels produced a day. By the end of 2025, the country averaged just 921,000 barrels daily.
Part of this decline can be put down to corruption and underinvestment, but the US has also played a critical role. After Trump’s administration began imposing economic sanctions on Venezuela in 2017, oil exports to the US plummeted, although increased shipments to China helped to keep the industry afloat.
US sanctions tightened again in 2023, when the US cancelled a series of licenses for new projects in the country, including those planned by Shell, BP and Spain’s Repsol.
Operations by supermajor Chevron continued however, given a special exemption from US sanctions. In December 2025, the US increased the pressure, imposing a naval blockade on Venezuelan oil tankers.
The amount of untapped crude oil up for grabs will be all too tempting for “drill, baby, drill” Trump, who holds the wheel for the biggest oil consumer in the world. Rather than temper the US’s appetite for fossil fuels, Trump has shown that he will “take care of America” by any means necessary, including force.
Trump has gone so far as to claim that this oil grab is meant to redress stolen oil. This is likely a reference to Venezuela’s moves to nationalise its oil industry in the 1970s and later to seize assets from international companies in the 2000s.
Required to relinquish 60 percent of oil assets to the Venezuelan state, US companies – including Exxon – chose to leave the country in 2007.
Who is Nicolás Maduro?
Maduro has been Venezuela’s president since 2013, rising to prominence during Hugo Chávez’s presidency and going on to be handpicked by him as his successor. Like Chávez, Maduro has taken a strong anti-US, anti-imperialist stance.
Maduro’s presidency has been marred by economic crisis, food poverty, political repression, accusations of corruption and drug-trafficking, and a colossal migrant crisis. Since he assumed power, nearly 8 million Venezuelans have left the country, equalling almost a quarter of the country’s population.
While in power, Maduro’s regime has also been accused of widespread “crimes against humanity,” according to the UN.
This included extrajudicial killings and torture techniques such as electric shocks, sexual violence and asphyxiation as part of a plan “orchestrated at the highest levels of the government to repress dissent.”
Just a few weeks before Maduro’s capture, a UN report detailed how the Bolivarian National Guard – a branch of the military used for civilian law enforcement – was implicated in a “decade-long pattern of killings, arbitrary detentions, torture and sexual violence” as part of a “pattern of systematic and coordinated repression against opponents.”
Maduro, as the military group’s head, was held responsible for these abuses.
What is happening to people in Venezuela?
Venezuela’s economy is in crisis. Over the past decade, millions have been pushed into poverty and many today struggle to find enough to eat. It is possible that this US attack and uncertainty over the future could further destabilise the country. And any new money from the oil sector may be a long way coming.
Politically, the picture is also worrying. Venezuela’s government is now run by the remnants of Maduro’s party, and headed by his vice president Delcy Rodríguez.
In an effort to stave off further US attacks, Rodríguez has struck a conciliatory tone with the US. Her government is also continuing to persecute its people – particularly vocal critics of Maduro.
In contrast, the US has sidelined Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner 2025 María Corina Machado.
Yet even amid this uncertainty and US aggression, many Venezuelans are glad to see the back of Maduro and his record of human rights abuses and financial mismanagement.
What happens next?
Venezuela’s economic and political future may be unknown, but it is clear that the US intends to control the country’s oil.
Oil sanctions and the naval blockade remain in place. Trump has said that Venezuela would turn over some 2.8 billion dollar worth of oil, money that would be “controlled by me, as President of the United States of America, to ensure it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States.”
Long-term planning has also begun. Trump has floated the idea of taking charge of Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA. There is reporting that the US plans to control money made from future sales of Venezuelan oil. Funds would be sent to Venezuela “at the discretion of the US,” an anonymous source told CNBC.
At the same time, Trump is pushing for American oil majors to re-enter the country and get spending. Chevron – which has continued to operate in Venezuela under Maduro – has been negotiating with the US to expand its exports.
And less than a week after the attack, Trump hosted oil companies at the White House to encourage them to set up shop in Venezuela, although some – including Exxon – appear reluctant to do so.
It remains unclear when Venezuelans will get the opportunity to decide their own country’s future. Trump has said that he will allow elections “eventually” – after the US has redeveloped Venezuela’s oil sector to his satisfaction.
Venezuela may be rid of a brutal dictator. But he has been overthrown by an American president enamoured with oil, and apparently willing to restrict another country’s sovereignty to procure it. Venezuelans deserve better.
Jonathan Noronha-Gant en Becca Inglis
Beide auteurs werken voor de Britse NGO Global Witness.
Dit artikel verscheen op 13 januari 2026 op de website van Global Witness, met dank voor de overname:
Lees ook:
– Fueling dictatorship? Chevron’s ties to Maduro https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-fuels/fueling-dictatorship-chevrons-ties-to-maduro/
– Fossil fuel donors contributed 19 million dollar to Donald Trump’s inaugural fund https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-fuels/fossil-fuel-donors-contributed-19-million-to-donald-trumps-inaugural-fund/
– The critical minerals scramble: How the race for resources is fuelling conflict and inequality https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/transition-minerals/the-critical-minerals-scramble-how-the-race-for-resources-is-fuelling-conflict-and-inequality/
– Venezuelans deserve democracy, not fossil fuel-driven regime change https://globalwitness.org/en/press-releases/venezuelans-deserve-democracy-not-fossil-fuel-driven-regime-change/
– Ramping up Venezuela oil production could risk ‘methane bomb’ data shows https://globalwitness.org/en/press-releases/ramping-up-venezuela-oil-production-could-risk-methane-bomb-data-shows/
– Venezuela has the world’s most oil: Why doesn’t it earn more from exports? https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/4/venezuela-has-the-worlds-most-oil-why-doesnt-it-earn-more-from-exports
– The Executive Committee of War Resisters’ International (WRI) endorses and shares the following statement by RAMALC (Red Antimilitarista de América Latina y el Caribe) regarding the situation in Venezuela: RAMALC statement on the situation in Venezuela https://wri-irg.org/en/story/2026/ramalc-statement-situation-venezuela
– Venezuela’s National Guard linked to killings, torture and repression, UN probe finds https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/12/1166565
– Before toppling Maduro, the US spent decades pressuring Venezuelan leaders over its oil wealth https://theconversation.com/before-toppling-maduro-the-us-spent-decades-pressuring-venezuelan-leaders-over-its-oil-wealth-272679
– How Maduro’s capture went down – a military strategist explains what goes into a successful special op https://theconversation.com/how-maduros-capture-went-down-a-military-strategist-explains-what-goes-into-a-successful-special-op-272671
– The US has invaded countries and deposed leaders before. Its military action against Venezuela feels different https://theconversation.com/the-us-has-invaded-countries-and-deposed-leaders-before-its-military-action-against-venezuela-feels-different-272682
– 5 scenarios for a post-Maduro Venezuela — and what they could signal to the wider region https://theconversation.com/5-scenarios-for-a-post-maduro-venezuela-and-what-they-could-signal-to-the-wider-region-272675
– Venezuela: UN Fact-Finding Mission expresses grave concern following US military intervention and calls for accountability for human rights violations and crimes https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/01/venezuela-un-fact-finding-mission-expresses-grave-concern-following-us
– Today Venezuela, tomorrow Iran: can the Islamic Republic survive a second Trump presidency? https://theconversation.com/today-venezuela-tomorrow-iran-can-the-islamic-republic-survive-a-second-trump-presidency-272693
Lees ook (inhoud januari 2026)
