Tag: perpetual war

Oil Companies Are Key Partners in Trump’s Imperial Plans for Latin America

For months, U.S. President Donald Trump proclaimed that his pressure campaign against the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, backed by dozens of illegal killings through drone strikes, was about fighting drugs and cartels. But at his press conference after the U.S. abduction of Maduro, Trump couldn’t stop talking about oil.

“We’re gonna take back the oil,” Trump brazenly said. “Very large United States oil companies” will “go in” and “spend billions of dollars,” he promised. “We’re gonna be taking out a tremendous amount of wealth out of the ground.”

All told, Trump uttered the word “oil” at least 20 times during the press conference. Oil company stocks — ExxonMobil, Halliburton, ConocoPhillips, Valero, Phillips 66 — surged the following day, with Chevron, the only major U.S. oil corporation with a current foothold in Venezuela, seeing its share value jump more than 5 percent.

Further demonstrating the administration’s drug accusations to be mere propaganda, the Justice Department recently dropped its longstanding claim that Maduro was the head of “Cartel de los Soles,” implicitly conceding that it is indeed not a drug cartel but a slang term referring to political officials who have become corrupted by drug money.

The Trump administration’s barefaced imperial grab for Venezuela’s oil is fraught with challenges, and it’s far too early to predict what will happen. But its abduction of Maduro and effort to gain control over Venezuela’s oil industry aligns with the administration’s openly stated vision of reasserting undisputed political and economic hegemony across the Americas and the Caribbean, including control over natural resources and trade routes, through gunboat diplomacy backed by military threats. In doing so, Trump is looking to corporate allies like Chevron, which could stand to benefit handsomely from his administration’s action — though this is far from guaranteed.

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Russia Repeats Long-Standing Objection To Any Deal That Puts NATO Troops in Ukraine

The Russian Foreign Ministry on Thursday repeated its long-standing objection to troops from NATO countries deploying to Ukrainian territory as part of a potential future peace deal, as Ukraine and its Western backers continue to push the idea.

“The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs warns that the deployment of military units, military facilities, warehouses, and other infrastructure of Western countries on Ukrainian territory will be classified as foreign intervention, posing a direct threat to the security of not only Russia but also other European countries,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

“All such units and facilities will be considered legitimate combat targets of the Russian Armed Forces,” Zakharova added.

Her statement came after the UK and France signed a “declaration of intent” committing to lead a troop deployment to Ukraine. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the declaration “paves the way for the legal framework, under which British, French and partner forces could operate on Ukrainian soil,” though the document is lacking in details on what the force would actually look like.

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Ukrainian strikes have left 550,000 without power in western Russia – governor

Ukrainian strikes have caused massive power outages in Russia’s western region of Belgorod.

Belgorod, a city of 330,000 people, has frequently been targeted by Ukrainian drones and rockets since the armed conflict between Moscow and Kiev began in 2022.

The regional governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said Friday that an overnight missile strike had caused “serious damage” to an unspecified infrastructure site. He added that there were no casualties and that first responders were at the scene.

Gladkov later said in a video message on his Telegram channel that as of 6am local time, outages were affecting 556,000 people across six municipalities. He added that around 2,000 apartment buildings had lost heating and nearly 200,000 people were without running water in their homes.

Belgorod’s temperature on Friday morning was around 2 °C (36 °F) and is expected to drop to −5 °C (23 °F) over the weekend.

Telegram news channels reported that air raid sirens were activated, followed shortly by a loud explosion. According to reports, a power plant may have been hit. 

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Israel claims Hezbollah disarmament ‘far from sufficient’ as Beirut says phase one complete

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement on 8 January that Hezbollah’s disarmament is “far from being achieved,” in response to Lebanon’s announcement that it has completed the first phase of disarming the resistance group.

“The goal of disarming Hezbollah in southern Lebanon remains far from being achieved,” the statement said, attaching a video showing what it says are new Hezbollah military sites in the southern town of Beit Lif. 

The ministry said Israel “acknowledges the decision of the Lebanese government to address the disarmament of Hezbollah and some of the efforts the Lebanese Armed Forces [LAF] have made in this context,” but stressed that these efforts have been “limited.”

“Hezbollah is rearming faster than it is being disarmed,” the Foreign Ministry went on to say, while alleging cooperation between Hezbollah and the Lebanese army, and calling it “regrettable.”

“Israel expects LAF efforts to disarm Hezbollah to continue south of the Litani and throughout all other parts of Lebanon, in full accordance with the ceasefire agreement,” it concluded.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed what the Foreign Ministry said, calling Lebanon’s efforts “far from sufficient.”

The statement came after the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) announced completing the disarmament of Hezbollah south of the Litani River. 

“The army confirms that its plan to restrict weapons has entered an advanced stage, after the effective and tangible achievement of the objectives of the first phase on the ground. This phase focused on expanding the army’s operational presence, securing vital areas, and establishing operational control over territories that have come under its authority in the sector south of the Litani, with the exception of lands and sites that remain under Israeli occupation,” the LAF said. 

The statement added that “work in the sector is ongoing until the completion of the clearance of unexploded ordnance and tunnels, in addition to Requests for Action (RFAs), in order to consolidate control and prevent armed groups from rebuilding their capabilities in an irreversible manner.”

The developments coincide with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s visit to Lebanon. Araghchi has previously referred to the Hezbollah disarmament plan as a “doomed effort.”

A day earlier, Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji claimed the Lebanese army was capable of confronting Hezbollah militarily if needed. 

Rajji is closely affiliated with the US-backed Lebanese Forces (LF) party, and regularly blames Hezbollah for Israeli airstrikes and occupation in Lebanon.

“If a democratically elected government moves to disarm an illegal armed organization, it is restoring the principles of the constitution and the Taif Accord, not waging a ‘civil war.’ In any event, the LAF is capable of confronting Hezbollah militarily, if necessary,” Rajji told the pro-Israel US think tank, Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP). 

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Danish Defense Ministry: We’ll “Shoot First and Ask Questions Later” If US Invades Greenland

Denmark’s political and military establishment has dusted off a Cold War–era rule, with the Defense Ministry on Wednesday announcing that if foreign troops land on Danish territory, soldiers are to open fire immediately, without waiting for orders.

The revelation comes as tensions between Copenhagen and Washington have reached a fever pitch over renewed signals from the Trump administration that Greenland’s status is no longer a closed question.

Denmark’s defense ministry confirmed to Berlingske, a center-Right Danish newspaper, that a 1952 order remains active, requiring Danish forces to counterattack any invading power at once, even if no formal declaration of war has been issued. In simple terms, it is a shoot-first, ask questions later doctrine.

The timing of the disclosure isn’t an accident. President Donald Trump and senior figures in his administration have once again raised the possibility of bringing Greenland under American control, arguing that the Arctic island is pivotal to American security in an era of growing Chinese and Russian activity.

Trump’s position has predictably sent shockwaves throughout Europe’s establishment political class, which has long assumed American protection would remain unconditional and unquestioned. Denmark, which administers Greenland as part of its kingdom, insists the territory is “not for sale,” yet has little to no independent capacity to defend it without US military might.

The contradiction has not gone unnoticed. For decades, Copenhagen has relied on the threat of American forces to secure Greenland while simultaneously asserting full sovereignty over it. Now, faced with an increasingly assertive America that is openly reassessing its interests, Danish leaders appear rattled.

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White House Says It Will ‘Dictate’ the Decisions of the Venezuelan Government

The White House on Wednesday claimed that the US would be “dictating” the decisions of the Venezuelan government moving forward, as the Trump administration is attempting to control Venezuela’s oil supply following the US abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

“We’re continuing to be in close coordination with the interim authorities,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, referring to Maduro’s government, which is now led by Acting President Delcy Rodriguez.

Leavitt added that “their decisions are going to continue to be dictated by the United States of America.” In Caracas, Rodriguez and other Venezuelan officials are putting a very different message.

“The government of Venezuela is in charge in our country, and no one else. There is no foreign agent governing Venezuela,” said Rodriguez, who has called for the US to free Maduro so he can return to his position.

In an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance said that the US can control Venezuela by deciding where it’s allowed to sell its oil.

“We control the energy resources, and we tell the regime, you’re allowed to sell the oil so long as you serve America’s national interest, you’re not allowed to sell it if you can’t serve America’s national interest,” Vance said.

President Trump is also threatening to bomb Venezuela again and potentially send troops if the government doesn’t do the bidding of the US, and appeared to threaten Rodriguez’s life by saying she would have a fate worse than Maduro if she didn’t fall in line.

On Tuesday night, Trump said that Venezuela will be “turning over” between 30 million and 50 million barrels of oil to the US. He said the oil will be “sold at its Market Price, and that money will 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.”

Venezuela’s state oil company, PDVSA, said in a statement that it was advancing an oil sale to the US and that it would be similar to deals with Chevron, the US oil firm that has continued to operate in the country. “The process … is based on strictly commercial transactions under terms that are legal, transparent and beneficial for both parties,” PDVSA said.

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said that the US will control Venezuela’s oil sales “indefinitely” and will deposit revenues from the deals into US-controlled bank accounts.

In a follow-up post on Wednesday, Trump claimed that under the deal, Venezuela will be purchasing US goods with the money made from the sale. “I have just been informed that Venezuela is going to be purchasing ONLY American Made Products, with the money they receive from our new Oil Deal,” he said.

The president continued, “These purchases will include, among other things, American Agricultural Products, and American Made Medicines, Medical Devices, and Equipment to improve Venezuela’s Electric Grid and Energy Facilities. In other words, Venezuela is committing to doing business with the United States of America as their principal partner – A wise choice, and a very good thing for the people of Venezuela, and the United States.”

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Trump threatens to use US military to seize Greenland as White House issues extraordinary statement revealing plans to take Danish territory

The Trump administration has threatened to use the US military to seize Greenland in an extraordinary new statement escalating tensions with NATO ally Denmark.

Donald Trump and his top advisers are exploring plans including purchasing the Danish territory or taking charge of its defense, a senior administration official said.

The White House added menacingly that ‘utilizing the US military is always an option’ and warned that the issue is ‘not going away’ despite the protests of NATO leaders.

The statement will dismay America’s NATO allies who have rallied around Denmark in recent days as Trump has renewed his threats to invade Greenland following the successful capture of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela. 

Trump has argued the US needs to control the island, which is more than three times the size of Texas, to ensure NATO security against rising threats from China and Russia in the Arctic. 

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said: ‘President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland ‌is a national security priority ‌of the United States, and it’s vital ​to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region.

‘The ‍president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important ‌foreign policy goal, ⁠and of course, utilizing the ‌US military is ‍always an option at the commander-in-chief’s disposal.’ 

Trump hinted on Sunday that a decision on Greenland may come ‘in about two months,’ once the situation in Venezuela has stabilized. 

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World War III Unfolding Before Our Eyes

The Neocons have won. Taking Venezuela followed the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis agenda to prevent Russia from installing nukes as a countermeasure for Ukraine. There are now even discussions about using military force to seize Greenland, but the most audacious direct slap in the face to Russia is the seizing of a tanker with a Russian flag, and Putin assumed would be enough to warn the US to keep its hands off it.

Russia had staked its reputation and geopolitical credibility on conferring official protection on the shadow-fleet oil tanker the Neocons pushing for WWIII have pursued with total disregard for the consequences. As the more than two-week pursuit of Bella 1 unfolded, Russia re-flagged the vessel with its own colors, renamed it the Marinera, and added it to an official Russian ship database. The Neocons do not give a shit. What they hell, they send other people’s children to die – never themselves. The re-flagging to a Russian ship was assumed it would say hands off or war. The Neocons want war. This is about the total destruction of Russia which they have been dreaming about since childhood. People like John Bolton joined the National Guard so he did not have to go to Vietnam.

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Venezuela issues 90-day order to ARREST anyone backing US attack as armed motorcycle gangs hunt down Trump supporters in Caracas

Gangs of armed men on motorcycles are patrolling the streets of Caracas, looking for supporters of Donald Trump and his military operation in Venezuela with the support of at least one key government official. 

The Colectivos are a group of paramilitary militias that still support deposed leader Nicolas Maduro and have been searching vehicles at checkpoints. 

The bikers, many of them masked and armed with Kalashnikovs, have searched phones and cars looking for evidence of people backing Trump’s action in Caracas as an unofficial tool of the state. 

In the wake of Maduro’s arrest, a 90-day state of emergency put in place by the Venezuelan government orders police to ‘immediately begin the national search and capture of everyone involved in the promotion or support for the armed attack by the United States.’

They have already arrested 14 journalists, 11 of whom come from out of the country, while others remain missing, The Telegraph reported. 

Many of the members of Colectivos have been seen posing with Maduro’s Interior, Justice and Peace Minister Diosdado Cabello, who still clings tight to the notion that Maduro is the nation’s lawful president. 

‘Here, the unity of the revolutionary force is more than guaranteed, and here there is only one president, whose name is Nicolas Maduro Moros. Let no one fall for the enemy’s provocations,’ Cabello said in a statement through the United Socialist Party of Venezuela.

A video of Cabello – who has a bounty of $50million on his head in the US for drug trafficking – with the militia members that has circulated on social media sees them chanting a slogan that translates to: ‘Always loyal, never traitors.’

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Trump Says He Wants a $1.5 Trillion Military Budget

President Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday that he wants a $1.5 trillion military budget for 2027, a 50% increase from his $1 trillion budget for 2026.

“After long and difficult negotiations with Senators, Congressmen, Secretaries, and other Political Representatives, I have determined that, for the Good of our Country, especially in these very troubled and dangerous times, our Military Budget for the year 2027 should not be $1 Trillion Dollars, but rather $1.5 Trillion Dollars,” the president said.

He added that $1.5 trillion would enable the US to build a “dream military” and claimed it would be possible thanks to his tariff policy.

“If it weren’t for the tremendous numbers being produced by Tariffs from other Countries, many of which, in the past, have ‘ripped off’ the United States at levels never seen before, I would stay at the $1 Trillion Dollar number but, because of Tariffs, and the tremendous Income that they bring, amounts being generated, that would have been unthinkable in the past … we are able to easily hit the $1.5 Trillion Dollar,” Trump wrote.

He also claimed that tariff revenue would also allow him to “pay down Debt, and likewise, pay a substantial Dividend to moderate income Patriots within our Country!”

When he first came into office in 2025, Trump suggested he could substantially cut military spending, but then went on to request the first-ever $1 trillion US military budget. He got it by combining the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which Congress finalized at $901 billion, with a supplemental military spending bill worth about $150 billion that was included in the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” passed earlier in 2025.

While 2026 marks the first time the US had an official military budget over $1 trillion, the true cost of annual US military and national security spending has exceeded $1 trillion for many years, when taking into account factors such as the budgets for the Departments of Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs, and the national security share of the interest accrued on the US debt.

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