Venezuela Can Bring Putin to his Knees

[douglas9]

Right now, Russian tanks have pushed the price of oil past $100 a barrel. That’s a windfall worth an additional half a billion dollars a day to Russia’s treasury. With 43% of Russia’s entire federal budget coming from oil and gas royalties, Putin doesn’t care if his oligarchs are barred from getting tickets to see Hamilton.

The doubling of energy prices over the next year would bring Putin a quarter trillion dollar windfall.

Want to stop Putin‘s tanks? Turn off his war windfall.

How? Unleash the largest reserve of oil on the planet: Lift the cruel, crazy, unjustified embargo of Venezuela.

Venezuela is capable of pumping 2 million barrels of oil a day for export. If Biden announces an end to the embargo, the price of oil will nosedive in 20 minutes. However, the US and Europe have laid siege to Venezuela, stopping everything from food to supplies of parts to get its oil industry back up and running.

Stop choking Venezuela’s economy and starving the Venezuelan people, who are no enemies of America, who invaded no one, and the price of oil will collapse.

The Biden administration continues to prosecute Donald Trump‘s mad embargo of Venezuela. The embargo was triggered by Venezuela‘s insistence on taking back control of its oil industry—and, Heaven forbid, taxing Exxon.

https://www.gregpalast.com/venezuela-can-bring-putin-to-his-knees/

[HAB911]

1. at this point

whatever it takes

[Stuart G]

2. K and R..I suspect Biden has been told about this. Could happen soon.

[empedocles]

3. Spot market in oil jumped, of course. Oil futures much less.

[nitpicker]

4. I don't think the production can be turned up that quickly

I would expect some of the capacity has been shut in.

[ToxMarz]

20. Yeah, I think a 20 minute turn around is a bit hyperbolic

since we've been:

"stopping everything from food to supplies of parts to get its oil industry BACK UP AND RUNNING."

[orangecrush]

30. For now obvious reasons

[sop]

6. Much like the embargo on Cuba, kept in place for decades just to placate and pander to

rabidly anti-Castro Cuban-Americans in South Florida, Venezuelans displaced by the Chavez and Maduro regimes have demanded the US take a similar stance with their country. These people care less about Putin, Ukraine and rising gas prices than they do about driving Maduro's leftist government out of power.

[Voltaire2]

7. Trump's embargo continued Obama's embargo.

We have been fucking with Venezuela for decades. We fuck with every state in central and south america whenever we feel the need. We’ve invaded and occupied several of them. Toppled regimes all over the map. This isn’t Trump, it’s us. It’s what we do.

But yes of course we should stop our economic war and our subversion of Venezuela.

[gab13by13]

10. I agree,

Our crew worked in Venezuela during Hugo Chavez' time. We could not believe that the average workers who were working beside us told us they loved Chavez.

I think this idea needs to be pursued, but I'm sure our MSM will lay into president Biden for kissing up to Maduro.

[Lonestarblue]

25. And all of it to protect corporate profits and keep the US oligarchs happy.

[Magoo48]

8. I'm always for ending embargoes. They devastate regular folks.

But isn’t it a bit hypocritical to embargo a country for human rights violations until such time as we need their oil?

[JT45242]

9. Imagine Iran and Venezuela reserves on the market

Both of them would end the Saudi and Russian dominance if the supply, and therefore, cost of oil.

Trump pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal just made Putin stronger.

[gab13by13]

11. Get the new Iran deal signed and open up the spigots.

[wnylib]

14. Which is why Trump did it.

[Samrob]

12. We hated Chavez but donated oil to our underserved communities. Maybe that's why?

But the poster is right on with this. There is oil in Venezuela and no matter what is spun here the revenues were being used to help the poor and that is exactly what the greedy corporatists could not stand. Hence all the shit thrown at Chavez and his supporters. But today is a different story. It will cost us dearly to get access to that oil, I believe but it would thwart Putin's dream.

[oldsoftie]

17. Thats ridiculous. The poor in VZ are far worse off now than years ago.

MAduro & his friends have stolen everything they can get their hands one. Including elections.
And as I said in another post, its their own incompetence that has dropped production because nobody is stupid enough to spend any money there.
VZ was once 12 times richer than China. Now they're a failed state run by a failed dictator. Only returning to democracy can save the VZ people

OPEC can replace VZ oil output in a week.

[jaxexpat]

29. "Only returning to democracy can save the VZ people". How true.

Now, if only there were a powerful, functional democracy nearby one could point toward as a template to emulate. A place with honest elections where the candidate with the most votes is always the winner. Where honest and free media ensures that the electorate is filled with useful and accurate information. A North American nation which was not run by protection rackets and their citizens do not live in fear of "no health insurance". A land where politicians are not elected solely on the strength of their campaign coffers.

Surely such a land must exist. If only in the fantastical hopes of generations of immigrants whose personal investment, against incredible odds and despite much suffering, must have made a lasting spiritual impression on somebody. Right?

[orangecrush]

33. Canada

[TomWilm]

43. 👍

[oldsoftie]

47. Save it. Over 6 million have fled VZ in just the past 6-8 yrs. Many come here.

Many more are trying to get here. the VZ population here has risen over 50% since 2015. They come for a reason.
They're not fleeing to Cuba.
We're certainly not perfect but we're far ahead of that failed state

[Samrob]

31. Years ago? Remember we helped them become a failed state.

Embargos help make failed states faster than wars That's why they are employed. Cuba is a fine example. Even the worst dictators do not oversee "failed states" if they are not embargoed and restricted from global markets. Embargos hurt the people more than they hurt dictators. Let the people thrive and they will rid themselves of dictators. But seems not to be the popular MO by the west.
We are doing the same thing to Iran right now. Iranian people are smart, hard-working, religious as any western democracy. They have a rich history and culture. Remember the history of how Iran became a pariah to the west. They had a democratically elected head of state that we didn't like and inserted and supported a dictator that we liked. For that they became the brunt of all kinds of embargos and sanctions. They are surrounded by countries with nukes. They have never invaded or started to invade another country and were helpful to us against ISIS and Syria. They have much more reason to be frightened for their own security than Russia yet they can't even attain nuclear power for their own energy needs and industrialization. We have sanctioned them into a failing state in hopes that their people will rise up and overthrow their regime. Starving, sick, and sanctioned people are in no position to rise up against anyone.

The propaganda and sanctions used against Chavez is why Venezuela is like it is today.

[oldsoftie]

48. The Chavez/Madruo apologists here are hilarious.

Ignore the theft by both those crackpots. The embargo didn't ruin them, the dictators ruined them. When you don't pay your bills you get zero investment. They have the most oil in the world but can't keep their shit running. Not because of us, because even the RUSSIANS wouldn't give them much money knowing it would just be stolen. Its because they're corrupt.
But you guys can keep on.

[in2herbs]

13. Wat if Putin's surge into Ukraine is not about reviving the old USSR? I only caught a moment of a

local news piece last night but the person being interviewed about the Russian invasion claimed that Putin wants the neon that only the country of Ukraine can provide because Ukraine neon is what is needed in chip manufacturing.

Putin wants Ukraine for their neon and went to China just before the invasion and who produces the chips for the global need? China. A Russia/China conglomeration that has cornered the market on chip manufacturing and the supply of neon for chip manufacturing could control the technology needs of every country, including the US.

[msfiddlestix]

16. Neon??? n/t

[in2herbs]

18. Yes, neon. I didn't know either. see below from www.fierceelectronics.com:

Ukraine makes more than 90% of the high-grade neon in gas-phase lasers used to make chips produced by U.S. semiconductor companies. The gas is a biproduct of Russian steel manufacturing which is purified in Ukraine, said market research company Techcet. Neon prices soared during the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2014.

Meanwhile, Russia provides a third of the palladium metal used in sensors and memory products produced by U.S. companies. Russia is also a “crucial” source of C4F6 (hexafluorocyclobutene), which several U.S. suppliers buy and purify for advanced node logic device etching and advanced lithography processes for chip production, Techcet wrote in advance of the invasion as Russia build up troops along the border of Ukraine in recent weeks.

It isn’t clear whether these commodities could be disrupted by the conflict, although chipmakers are following the unfolding crisis carefully.

end

[groundloop]

19. Here's a little bit of information on that.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/24/russian-invasion-of-ukraine-to-further-strain-us-chip-supply.html

[msfiddlestix]

21. TY, significant information.

Didn't know about Neon connected to chip manufacturing. Actually didn't know Neon was a thing other than related to "neon" lights, and the model of Chevrolet back in the late 90's or early Otts,,,

[dsp3000]

24. Dodge, not Chevy.

Either way, crappy vehicle except for the SRT-4.

[msfiddlestix]

27. LOL! Thanks!

not surprised I had that wrong. don't know why I thought it was a chevy.

[jaxexpat]

38. Lotta people get their Volts and Neons mixed up. It's all real techy.

Like the gen-exer driving his hands-free Tesla into a semi-conductor during Beethoven's G5 Simcard-phony and microchipping his Bluetooth.

[msfiddlestix]

53. hilarious analogy

[msfiddlestix]

22. ✔️ Thank you too!

just saw the other post with this information... new info for me..

thanks!

[oldsoftie]

15. VZ's oil production cratered because of incompetence more than sanctions.

No one will invest in their oil production because they know Maduro will never pay them back. Just as most other industries have pulled out of VZ. Screw them. We can buy their oil when democracy returns and REAL elections happen.
OPEC could turn on 2M barrels a day in a heartbeat. THATS where the pressure needs to be applied.

[empedocles]

23. Incompetence, riddled with corruption. Like traitortrumpo

[oldsoftie]

49. exactly. nt

[eallen]

26. Venezuela can sell all the oil it produces to India and China

Venezuela's problem is not that it lacks customers willing to buy its oil. Its production decline is on its own end.

[DanieRains]

28. Venezuela Is More Corrupt Than Russia

A family member went there. They wanted her to help count the bribe money. Her friend was a Chavista mayor. Sad. Maduro will steal all revenue and only pay his militias.

[The Wizard]

32. Venezuela nationalized its oil industry.

Every country that nationalized oil has had the US overthrow or attempt to overthrow its government.

[jaxexpat]

39. Coincidence?

[oldsoftie]

50. the people voted maduro out. he refuses to leave.

So the people suffer
Not our fault.

[EX500rider]

52. They nationalized their oil back in the '70's and around 70% of oil producing countries have I think

[Tickle]

34. if anything I would bet

Venezuela likes what Putin is doing

[myohmy2]

35. absolutely...

...where's Hugo when you need him?

...

[lagomorph777]

36. One more dirty deal with a dictator. Do it if we must, but make fossil fuels obsolete ASAP.

Fossil fuels are behind this latest war, as so many wars before. Putin's money comes from oil and gas. Putin's leverage over Europe comes from oil and gas. Putin's motive for grabbing Ukraine is partially tied to oil and gas pipelines through it.

[llashram]

37. is there something

here that American administration(s) fear? Especially with President Biden following the path of a certifiable psychopath and his administration's policy on Venezuela.

[TeamProg]

40. I'm calling my Congressmen and others' as well. nt

[FakeNoose]

41. I believe it's natural gas they need in Germany and elsewhere

The pipeline from Russia through the Baltic is for natural gas, not oil. Their power generators have been converted to natural gas for environmental reasons, and Germany is in the process of shutting down their nuclear power plants.

Does Venezuela export natural gas? I'm not sure about this, but if they do it would require several days of shipping via ocean vessels to Europe. Your suggestion may have merit but I don't believe it's the answer to Germany's problem.

[nycbos]

42. Venezuela and Russia are allied dictatorships.

[mathematic]

44. Ven is an ally of Russia and a member of OPEC. Palast is a moron.

Venezuela colludes with the rest of OPEC and with Russia to keep oil prices high.

[roamer65]

45. Problem with Venezuelan oil is it is very heavy crude.

Only specific refineries can process it.

CITGO in Lake Charles, LA can process it.

[roamer65]

46. In retribution for Ukraine, I would support an American overthrow of Maduro.

[alittlelark]

51. Venezuela has it's own oligarchs.... ie - mob bosses

I WISH it could be Reality - but Mob Bosses tend to stick together.