What is the behind-the-scenes reason for the U.S. threat to attack Venezuela?

Pars Today – A Latin American television network website reported in an analysis: "The real reason for the U.S. threat against Venezuela is not drug trafficking, but rather to control the country's strategic resources by resorting to slander and repetitive lies. This not only places Venezuela but all of Latin America at risk of a new wave of war, chaos, and instability."

According to Pars Today, the website of the Venezuelan television network TeleSUR added on this matter: "American imperialism, under the presidency of Donald Trump, under the pretext of fighting drug cartels, has ordered the military deployment of approximately four thousand marines to the southern Caribbean, near the coasts of Venezuela; this is news from the newspaper 'El País' in 2020."

In the same year, the U.S. Department of Justice also reported that Trump and his circle of hardliners, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Attorney General Pam Bondi—who is accused of steering legal processes against the Venezuelan government—had charged Nicolas Maduro, the President of Venezuela; Diosdado Cabello, the Minister of Interior and Justice; and Vladimir Padrino López, the Minister of Defense, with being "narcoterrorists" and the alleged leaders of the so-called "Cartel of the Suns" (Cartel de los Soles).

These charges were formalized in 2020 by the U.S. Department of Justice when it offered multi-million dollar rewards for information leading to their capture. However, to this day, no verifiable evidence has been presented to support such allegations. Several analysts, including those from the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), have questioned the foundation of these legal cases, highlighting their political nature.

The U.S. has always resorted to lies to justify aggression against other countries
In 2003, then-U.S. President George W. Bush and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair launched the invasion of Iraq, claiming that "Saddam" possessed "weapons of mass destruction." This claim was made while the United Nations, through its weapons inspector Scott Ritter, had already refuted this narrative. The imperialist slogan of "Make America Great Again" is nothing but war, sanctions, and the plunder of independent nations. The lies about Venezuela are similar. The real reason for the threat is not drug trafficking, but rather to control the country's strategic resources.

Venezuela possesses the largest proven oil reserves on Earth (over 303 billion barrels, according to OPEC, 2024), as well as significant gold reserves (161 tons as reported by the World Gold Council [WGC], 2024), and immense mining potential in the "Orinoco Belt." Official Venezuelan reports estimate the value of strategic minerals in this region, including coltan and rare earth elements, to be up to $2 trillion (OPEC, 2024; WGC, 2024).

Indeed, what Washington seeks is to subjugate Venezuela, just as it previously did with Iraq, Libya, and Syria, to secure access to oil and mineral wealth and establish a puppet government. The imperialist slogan of "Make America Great Again" is nothing but war, sanctions, and the plunder of independent nations.

Indeed, the driving force behind America's imperialist actions is the structural economic crisis it is facing. On one hand, the U.S. is grappling with a trade deficit with China, which exceeded $295 billion in 2024, and on the other hand, a deficit with the European Union, which reached $235 billion (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024; Eurostat, 2024). To bridge this gap, Trump has intensified protectionist policies, resorted to imposing tariffs, and blamed "everyone" for allegedly cheating America. Within this framework, controlling strategic resources, such as those of Venezuela, is crucial for maintaining its global hegemony.

Therefore, the threat of invasion not only endangers Venezuela but also exposes all of Latin America to the risk of a new wave of war, chaos, and instability. In particular, Colombia, which shares over 2,200 kilometers of border with Venezuela, would inevitably be drawn into this conflict (Reuters, 2024).