U.S. to ‘run’ Venezuela

Jan 07, 2026 Editorial, News

(Kaieteur News) – There is trouble looming in this part of the hemisphere. The US is planning to ‘run’ Venezuela. When the US came up with that same endgame of trying to ‘run’ another country, the results have been less than positive. Over a hundred years ago, there was Haiti, which led to brutal violence against rebellious Haitians, with civilians also on the receiving end of punishing US measures.

Following Haiti, there was the Dominican Republic, then Nicaragua, and after moving out of this hemisphere, there was Iraq. It must be admitted that the US has had its successes with military might, running a country (or nation building), however, leaves it with a terrible legacy. Now, there’s a rerun of an old movie, with the US set to take up residence in Venezuela, and try once more to ‘run’ a country, one likely to be hostile.

It is likely that President Trump does not have the clearest idea of what it means to run a foreign country, one that has been at loggerheads with the US from before the beginning of this millennium. Though his advisers may have been caught unawares, Trump has fixed his mind to have a presence in Venezuela.

It will have to be a muscular one, a commanding one, to make a difference, for it is doubtful that all Venezuelans will happily welcome the new US contingents arriving to take charge of a country on its knees, and over 8 million of its 28.5M citizens scattered across the region and beyond. Overseas-based Venezuelans, many of them victims of Maduro oppression wanted the US to take some action to remove their abuser. The question now is how many Venezuelans inside their country look forward to a US ‘run’ Venezuela. There is trouble looming across Guyana’s borders, which means some fallout here. In a best-case situation, it still could pose a huge amount of difficulty for Guyana.

Heading the list of the wave of US arrivals in Guyana’s uneasy neighbour has to be the big oil companies, of which two are in Guyana, ExxonMobil and Chevron.

There are 300 billion barrels of oil, and an oil infrastructure that has deteriorated from a lack of new investment. Sanctions were that crippling, with the lifeblood of the Venezuelan economy (oil) squeezed to a trickle of its peak production. By itself, that has to be a source of deep resentment against the US. In circumstances such as those now prevailing in Venezuela, it is every man for himself, and prior relationships and loyalties falling prey to the Trump-induced uncertainty. With Venezuela recovering, and Guyana going from strength to strength, relative to daily oil production, the US can reset the global oil picture, to its advantage. A quick digression: we feel sorry for Maria Corrina Machado, who led the opposition to Maduro despite great personal danger, only to learn now from Trump that ‘she doesn’t have the support of the people.’ Once she was the darling of the US, post Maduro, she doesn’t have what it takes. It is part of the fickleness of world powers and world leaders.

Beyond oil and oil infrastructure, there is the rest of the Venezuelan economic architecture that is badly in need of quality overhaul. There is sure to be a place for the likes of Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, and Citi Group having a significant footprint in the banking sector. By some estimates, hundreds of billions in physical rehabilitation and new construction are waiting to get started. It should be a very profitable time for US companies such as Fluor and Bechtel, and which would fit under the umbrella of a US ‘run’ Venezuela. If one were to recall the lessons of Iraq, security companies must be salivating to make a contribution to US efforts around the oil and other sectors. They name their price, and there is the advantage of Venezuela oil paying.

This may be fine from a US political and economic perspective. The issue that will be inseparable from this is how hospitably or hostilely the Venezuelans react to US-spearheaded developments in their country. Guyanese have to be calm and vigilant, and honest with themselves: they are not in the most comfortable place.

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Editorial, Haiti, run, U.S, Venezuela

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