Venezuela 2025

[Jazman]

Two questions:

1. Is the US going to war?
2. At what point did the US own Venezuelan oil fields?

It appears that oil fields are not the only thing he thinks we owned... was Venezuela a one-time colony of the US? This looks like 16th/17th/18th/19th century imperialism reincarnated and proclaimed on 21st century media platform...

[Valerie]

Sometimes I feel like quite alien to the values on display in the US. I was surprised at the defense of the Russians violently expanding over the rights and space of their neighbors and now I am genuinely surprised at the defense of the US doing similar things over its neighbors. This is increasingly becoming a foreign national culture to me. What catches me off guard the most is response of Christians who don't seem to notice or are acclimated to it.

"I am a stranger here within a foreign land, my home is far away along the golden strand. Ambassador to be from realms beyond the sea, I'm here on business for my king..."

Two Kingdoms. I appreciate this -
As Christians we can “try” to evaluate the decisions of leaders and if we really want to understand their mindset & decisions, we have to spend time listening closely. As Christians our interpretation of certain passages such as Romans 13 see God as involved (if a leader seeks to be Hos minister) we need to understand their “mission” is different than ours.

[barnhart]

Sometimes I feel like quite alien to the values on display in the US. I was surprised at the defense of the Russians violently expanding over the rights and space of their neighbors and now I am genuinely surprised at the defense of the US doing similar things over its neighbors. This is increasingly becoming a foreign national culture to me. What catches me off guard the most is response of Christians who don't seem to notice or are acclimated to it.

"I am a stranger here within a foreign land, my home is far away along the golden strand. Ambassador to be from realms beyond the sea, I'm here on business for my king..."

Two Kingdoms. I appreciate this -
As Christians we can “try” to evaluate the decisions of leaders and if we really want to understand their mindset & decisions, we have to spend time listening closely. As Christians our interpretation of certain passages such as Romans 13 see God as involved (if a leader seeks to be Hos minister) we need to understand their “mission” is different than ours.

Two kingdom theology must also include a reading of Revelation 13 each time Romans 13 is read as a description of God's work through government. In Rev. 13 ALL the kingdoms of this world are revealed to be under the power and control of Satan and will eventually turn against God and his people. An interpretation of Rom.13 that deletes the possibility of nations falling under the influence of Satan is not sufficiently biblical.

[Szdfan]

Two questions:
1. Is the US going to war?
2. At what point did the US own Venezuelan oil fields?
https://

Thank you for asking questions rather than jumping to conclusions.
i imagine there are few without questions.

1. We don’t know yet the answer to this, but it looks bad.
2. The US has never owned Venezuelan oil fields, which were nationalized in 1970. I don’t know what Trump is talking about.

[mike]

Two questions:
1. Is the US going to war?
2. At what point did the US own Venezuelan oil fields?
https://

Thank you for asking questions rather than jumping to conclusions.
i imagine there are few without questions.

1. We don’t know yet the answer to this, but it looks bad.
2. The US has never owned Venezuelan oil fields, which were nationalized in 1970. I don’t know what Trump is talking about.

Maybe he's talking about these seizures:

Venezuela has nationalized assets owned by US companies on multiple occasions, primarily in the oil sector but also in other industries.

1976 Oil Industry Nationalization

In 1976, under President Carlos Andrés Pérez, Venezuela fully nationalized its oil industry, creating the state-owned company Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA). This affected subsidiaries of major US firms, including Exxon (Creole Petroleum), Mobil, and Gulf Oil, which had invested billions in concessions and infrastructure. Compensation was provided based on net book value (around $1 billion, though companies claimed higher losses), often in government bonds.2007 Orinoco Belt Expropriations Under Hugo ChávezIn 2007, President Hugo Chávez forced foreign oil companies to cede majority control of heavy oil projects in the Orinoco Belt to PDVSA. Most companies (e.g., BP, Chevron) accepted minority stakes, but US firms ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips refused and exited, leading to the seizure of their assets. This resulted in international arbitration cases, with ExxonMobil initially seeking $12 billion (later awarded far less) and ConocoPhillips winning billions in compensation claims.

Other Sectors Under Chávez (2007–2013)

Chávez's broader nationalization drive targeted additional US-owned assets:
Telecommunications: CANTV (majority stake bought from Verizon).
Electricity: Electricidad de Caracas (majority stake from AES Corporation).
Oil services: 11 drilling rigs from Helmerich & Payne (2010).
Glass manufacturing: Local operations of Owens-Illinois (2010).
Food processing: Rice plants from Cargill (2009).
Fertilizer: Partial stake in Fertinitro (linked to Koch Industries).
Other: Assets from companies like Williams Companies (gas projects) and Gold Reserve (mining).

These actions were part of Chávez's socialist policies, often with partial or delayed compensation, leading to lawsuits and reduced foreign investment.

No major new nationalizations of US company assets have been reported from 2020 to 2025. Recent developments involve US sanctions, license revocations (e.g., Chevron's operations wound down in 2025), and disputes over historical expropriations, but not new seizures by Venezuela.

[JimFoxvog]

Two questions:

1. Is the US going to war?
2. At what point did the US own Venezuelan oil fields?

My response to seeing this yesterday was to email my Representative and two Senators, asking them to pass a Joint Resolution prohibiting an attack on Venezuela.

I encourage others here to do the same.

[Szdfan]

Thank you for asking questions rather than jumping to conclusions.
i imagine there are few without questions.

1. We don’t know yet the answer to this, but it looks bad.
2. The US has never owned Venezuelan oil fields, which were nationalized in 1970. I don’t know what Trump is talking about.

Maybe he's talking about these seizures:

Venezuela has nationalized assets owned by US companies on multiple occasions, primarily in the oil sector but also in other industries.

1976 Oil Industry Nationalization

In 1976, under President Carlos Andrés Pérez, Venezuela fully nationalized its oil industry, creating the state-owned company Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA). This affected subsidiaries of major US firms, including Exxon (Creole Petroleum), Mobil, and Gulf Oil, which had invested billions in concessions and infrastructure. Compensation was provided based on net book value (around $1 billion, though companies claimed higher losses), often in government bonds.2007 Orinoco Belt Expropriations Under Hugo ChávezIn 2007, President Hugo Chávez forced foreign oil companies to cede majority control of heavy oil projects in the Orinoco Belt to PDVSA. Most companies (e.g., BP, Chevron) accepted minority stakes, but US firms ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips refused and exited, leading to the seizure of their assets. This resulted in international arbitration cases, with ExxonMobil initially seeking $12 billion (later awarded far less) and ConocoPhillips winning billions in compensation claims.

Other Sectors Under Chávez (2007–2013)

Chávez's broader nationalization drive targeted additional US-owned assets:
Telecommunications: CANTV (majority stake bought from Verizon).
Electricity: Electricidad de Caracas (majority stake from AES Corporation).
Oil services: 11 drilling rigs from Helmerich & Payne (2010).
Glass manufacturing: Local operations of Owens-Illinois (2010).
Food processing: Rice plants from Cargill (2009).
Fertilizer: Partial stake in Fertinitro (linked to Koch Industries).
Other: Assets from companies like Williams Companies (gas projects) and Gold Reserve (mining).

These actions were part of Chávez's socialist policies, often with partial or delayed compensation, leading to lawsuits and reduced foreign investment.

No major new nationalizations of US company assets have been reported from 2020 to 2025. Recent developments involve US sanctions, license revocations (e.g., Chevron's operations wound down in 2025), and disputes over historical expropriations, but not new seizures by Venezuela.

Probably. It’s a bit ominous to equate ownership by American companies with ownership by America.

[JohnH]

Two questions:

1. Is the US going to war?
2. At what point did the US own Venezuelan oil fields?

The U.S. has been seizing Venezuelan government property for some time now, complete with courts and judgments authorising doing such.

If Maduro objects, he could show up in court, I guess, or open diplomatic relations with the U.S. and Canada. Instead, he’s just been in bed with Russia helping them smuggle oil which they aren’t supposed to do under sanctions.

[Szdfan]

Two questions:

1. Is the US going to war?
2. At what point did the US own Venezuelan oil fields?

The U.S. has been seizing Venezuelan government property for some time now, complete with courts and judgments authorising doing such.

If Maduro objects, he could show up in court, I guess, or open diplomatic relations with the U.S. and Canada. Instead, he’s just been in bed with Russia helping them smuggle oil which they aren’t supposed to do under sanctions.

Do you have examples other than the oil tanker that was seized the other day?

[mike]

Probably. It’s a bit ominous to equate ownership by American companies with ownership of America.

Hasn't this historically been the kind of thing that sometimes motivates the US government to go war or foment a coup/regime change? When these large US companies with political clout experience losses on foreign soil due to hostile foreign government actions, the US has sometimes taken action by way of the military or the CIA.

Examples: the Banana Wars, the 1953 coup in Iran, and the 1954 coup in Guatemala