US Airstrikes on Venezuela (Maduro captured).

[RogerWilco]

Well then we just take our business elsewhere. This just seems daunting now because we haven't had to think much about it in the past. Carney is already well on the way to changing the way we do business. We can move on while Trump is busy trying to figure out how to run Venezuela, which can only go bad for them.

[Ashes]

Man, sometimes I forget how Liberal most of CP really is (at least in the off-topic forum), this has been quite the refresher.

Venezuelan people partying in the streets around the world. Even over here in Europe I ran into a family on vacation and they were celebrating, but the left hates Trump so much they can't accept it. Carry on I guess.

Bigger "issue" I see here is the repercussions of the US gaining access to the largest raw minerals market on the planet, Venezuela has the largest oil and gold deposits on earth I believe, and now the US has even more reason to reduce their reliance on Canada going forward. THATS the issue for us.

Carney couldn't get a deal done with the US to ensure our economic future, and the US pivoted - while also freeing the people of Venezuela from a dictator. All in all, great day for the US and the people of Venezuela, and as for Canada.. we lose again.

Someone with better knowledge of oil and gas can explain this much better than I can... but I believe the "type" of oil that they extract in Venezuela is different than what we have here in Alberta, and so US refineries are still setup to convert Canadian oil for now? But after a few years, that wont be a problem. Also I believe Russian and Venezuelan oil are essentially the same "type", any oil gurus out there care to explain the implications better?

Regardless, Keystone not getting built a decade ago is such a colossal failure.

[Fuzz]

This is about 10 years old, but has some maps, graphs and interesting info. This caught my eye:

CITGO, a wholly-owned subsidiary of PDVSA, operates three refineries (Lake Charles, Louisiana; Corpus Christi, Texas; Lemont, Illinois), with a combined crude oil distillation capacity of 755,400 bbl/d. CITGO’s gulf coast refineries source most of their crude oil with PDVSA under long-term supply contracts. PDVSA also owns a 50% stake in the 189,000-bbl/d Chalmette facility in Louisiana.

https://energy-cg.com/OPEC/Venezuela..._Industry.html


Since this is old I went looking at Wikipedia,

Headquartered in the Energy Corridor area of Houston, it is majority-owned by PDVSA, a state-owned company of the Venezuelan government (although due to U.S. sanctions in 2019, they no longer economically benefit[clarify] from Citgo).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citgo

I assume Trump will be taking Citgo and their three refineries in the US once someone tells him about it.

[Looch City]

Wait so...this is all... Carney's fault?

LOL

I bet PP would've had a deal on day 0. He'd just give up the entire country on a maple platter to appease the Emperor.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Ashes

Man, sometimes I forget how Liberal most of CP really is (at least in the off-topic forum), this has been quite the refresher.

Venezuelan people partying in the streets around the world. Even over here in Europe I ran into a family on vacation and they were celebrating, but the left hates Trump so much they can't accept it. Carry on I guess.

Bigger "issue" I see here is the repercussions of the US gaining access to the largest raw minerals market on the planet, Venezuela has the largest oil and gold deposits on earth I believe, and now the US has even more reason to reduce their reliance on Canada going forward. THATS the issue for us.

Carney couldn't get a deal done with the US to ensure our economic future, and the US pivoted - while also freeing the people of Venezuela from a dictator. All in all, great day for the US and the people of Venezuela, and as for Canada.. we lose again.

Someone with better knowledge of oil and gas can explain this much better than I can... but I believe the "type" of oil that they extract in Venezuela is different than what we have here in Alberta, and so US refineries are still setup to convert Canadian oil for now? But after a few years, that wont be a problem. Also I believe Russian and Venezuelan oil are essentially the same "type", any oil gurus out there care to explain the implications better?

Regardless, Keystone not getting built a decade ago is such a colossal failure.

There was never going to be a deal with Trump for Canada. The idea we'd sign a deal and then be good is grasping at something that was never going to happen. Trump wants to keep Canada on an economic leash. You don't give a good deal to a country you are trying to control. You string them along and take their leverage, as this oil play does. Trump doesn't honour deals anyway, so what value would it have been? To pin this on Carney, or anyone else, is to completely miss the reality of the situation.


Carney is doing what he has to do since day one, and that's been looking elsewhere and strengthening relationships with actual partners we can count on, not playing into Trump's hands.

[RogerWilco]

Originally Posted by Ashes

Man, sometimes I forget how Liberal most of CP really is (at least in the off-topic forum), this has been quite the refresher.

Venezuelan people partying in the streets around the world. Even over here in Europe I ran into a family on vacation and they were celebrating, but the left hates Trump so much they can't accept it. Carry on I guess.

Bigger "issue" I see here is the repercussions of the US gaining access to the largest raw minerals market on the planet, Venezuela has the largest oil and gold deposits on earth I believe, and now the US has even more reason to reduce their reliance on Canada going forward. THATS the issue for us.

Carney couldn't get a deal done with the US to ensure our economic future, and the US pivoted - while also freeing the people of Venezuela from a dictator. All in all, great day for the US and the people of Venezuela, and as for Canada.. we lose again.

Someone with better knowledge of oil and gas can explain this much better than I can... but I believe the "type" of oil that they extract in Venezuela is different than what we have here in Alberta, and so US refineries are still setup to convert Canadian oil for now? But after a few years, that wont be a problem. Also I believe Russian and Venezuelan oil are essentially the same "type", any oil gurus out there care to explain the implications better?

Regardless, Keystone not getting built a decade ago is such a colossal failure.

Lets revisit how the people of Venezuela feel about this in about 6 months from now. History has proven that the US trying to take over and install a government in a foreign country doesn't work out well. We just never seem to learn from history, especially when oil is the prime motivation.

[Looch City]

Do people honestly think Trump gives a flying #### about Venezuela itself and its people?

He doesn't give two ####s.

This is just a way for him and his buddies to amass more wealth.

Maduro being a dictator was just the easy in. He would've probably found some other excuse to invade if it wasn't for Maduro.

[Drak]

Trump doesn’t care. He wants their oil and resources, he’s openly stated so. And he rapes children.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Looch City

Do people honestly think Trump gives a flying #### about Venezuela itself and its people?

He doesn't give two ####s.

This is just a way for him and his buddies to amass more wealth.

Maduro being a dictator was just the easy in. He would've probably found some other excuse to invade if it wasn't for Maduro.

Yup - there are 60 other dictators in the world that they are doing nothing about.

[edslunch]

Originally Posted by Ashes

Regardless, Keystone not getting built a decade ago is such a colossal failure….

…..by three US presidents.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

They just traded one dictator for another. No meaningful change will come to the Venezuelan people. But their natural resources sure as #### will be exploited to enrich American companies and trumps cronies.


Meet the new boss, same as the old boss

[troutman]

The U.S. Indictment of Maduro Cites Cocaine Smuggling. Venezuela’s Role in the Trade Is Believed to Be Modest.

Experts have said that Venezuela is not a major drug producer but a minor cocaine transit country, with most of the cocaine flowing through it headed to Europe.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/w...core-ios-share

[Johnny Makarov]

Originally Posted by Ashes

Man, sometimes I forget how Liberal most of CP really is (at least in the off-topic forum), this has been quite the refresher.

Venezuelan people partying in the streets around the world. Even over here in Europe I ran into a family on vacation and they were celebrating, but the left hates Trump so much they can't accept it. Carry on I guess.

Bigger "issue" I see here is the repercussions of the US gaining access to the largest raw minerals market on the planet, Venezuela has the largest oil and gold deposits on earth I believe, and now the US has even more reason to reduce their reliance on Canada going forward. THATS the issue for us.

Carney couldn't get a deal done with the US to ensure our economic future, and the US pivoted - while also freeing the people of Venezuela from a dictator. All in all, great day for the US and the people of Venezuela, and as for Canada.. we lose again.

Someone with better knowledge of oil and gas can explain this much better than I can... but I believe the "type" of oil that they extract in Venezuela is different than what we have here in Alberta, and so US refineries are still setup to convert Canadian oil for now? But after a few years, that wont be a problem. Also I believe Russian and Venezuelan oil are essentially the same "type", any oil gurus out there care to explain the implications better?

Regardless, Keystone not getting built a decade ago is such a colossal failure.

Keep drinking the blue pierre polyester organ juice! hahahahaha and punch yourself in the crotch.

[opendoor]

Originally Posted by Ashes

Man, sometimes I forget how Liberal most of CP really is (at least in the off-topic forum), this has been quite the refresher.

It's not really a political thing, it's more about having an understanding of how these things work. People aren't skeptical of the whole thing because it's Trump; it would be just as ill advised no matter who the President was.

Venezuelan people partying in the streets around the world. Even over here in Europe I ran into a family on vacation and they were celebrating, but the left hates Trump so much they can't accept it. Carry on I guess.

Expats' opinions don't really mean a whole lot. The question is how to the people who actually live in Venezuela feel. Based on centuries of history, people normally don't like when a foreign country deposes their leader, even if that leader was repressive and unpopular. Things like that tend to lead to instability and future violence.

Bigger "issue" I see here is the repercussions of the US gaining access to the largest raw minerals market on the planet, Venezuela has the largest oil and gold deposits on earth I believe, and now the US has even more reason to reduce their reliance on Canada going forward. THATS the issue for us.

They haven't really gained access to anything (though it's still early). The same party is still in power and rebuilding Venezuela's production after decades of mismanagement isn't a quick fix. Even if the US can create enough stability to drive investment, it's a long-term operation to get production back up to where it was.

More likely in the medium term (assuming the US forces the Venezuelan government into compliance), US oil companies will just go in and rob the country by stealing existing production and selling it at market rates to whoever. The idea that this is going to lead to Americans getting free or exceedingly cheap oil or something like that is laughable; where's the profit in that? That would just undercut American producers, the same ones that have basically bribed Trump so far.

Carney couldn't get a deal done with the US to ensure our economic future, and the US pivoted - while also freeing the people of Venezuela from a dictator. All in all, great day for the US and the people of Venezuela, and as for Canada.. we lose again.

You can't possibly be so naive to believe that there was some kind of "deal" on the table that the US would actually abide by, but now because they kidnapped another country's leader, that has all changed. The US under Trump has shown zero inclination that they'll abide by any of their agreements. If Canada had rushed to sign some kind of poorly conceived trade deal (even though we already have a wide-ranging deal), it would have mean nothing because they would just renege on it whenever it suited them. It wouldn't be worth the paper it was written on.

Someone with better knowledge of oil and gas can explain this much better than I can... but I believe the "type" of oil that they extract in Venezuela is different than what we have here in Alberta, and so US refineries are still setup to convert Canadian oil for now? But after a few years, that wont be a problem. Also I believe Russian and Venezuelan oil are essentially the same "type", any oil gurus out there care to explain the implications better?

Regardless, Keystone not getting built a decade ago is such a colossal failure.

No, you're wrong. Venezuelan oil is similar to Alberta's in that they're both heavy crude. And many US refineries are already set up for it.

But there's far more to it than that. Beyond the above (i.e. difficulties in actually increasing Venezuela's production), US internal pipelines aren't set up to get the heavy crude to where it needs to go if they want to replace Canada's exports.

[Scroopy Noopers]

“I’ve seen Venezuelans celebrate this” is one of the dumber takes on the whole thing.

Idiocy, and not understanding #### all knows no creed, country, or race. They are everywhere.

[Scroopy Noopers]

And am I the only one who doesn’t think Trump has anything to do with this. This was going to be the republican move regardless who was in power. So is Greenland, so is Canada. It doesn’t go away with him. I’m not even thinking of him through this. I’m thinking how ####ed that country and its leadership is, top to bottom.

[Looch City]

You're all wrong. It was as actually the Lost Liberal Decade ^TM that ultimately led to the US invading Venezuela and installing a puppet government.

[TherapyforGlencross]

Originally Posted by Ashes

Man, sometimes I forget how Liberal most of CP really is (at least in the off-topic forum), this has been quite the refresher.

Venezuelan people partying in the streets around the world. Even over here in Europe I ran into a family on vacation and they were celebrating, but the left hates Trump so much they can't accept it. Carry on I guess.

Bigger "issue" I see here is the repercussions of the US gaining access to the largest raw minerals market on the planet, Venezuela has the largest oil and gold deposits on earth I believe, and now the US has even more reason to reduce their reliance on Canada going forward. THATS the issue for us.

Carney couldn't get a deal done with the US to ensure our economic future, and the US pivoted - while also freeing the people of Venezuela from a dictator. All in all, great day for the US and the people of Venezuela, and as for Canada.. we lose again.

Someone with better knowledge of oil and gas can explain this much better than I can... but I believe the "type" of oil that they extract in Venezuela is different than what we have here in Alberta, and so US refineries are still setup to convert Canadian oil for now? But after a few years, that wont be a problem. Also I believe Russian and Venezuelan oil are essentially the same "type", any oil gurus out there care to explain the implications better?

Regardless, Keystone not getting built a decade ago is such a colossal failure.

Quick note, Venezuela does not hold the worlds largest gold deposit underground reserves. That belongs to Australia. Venezuela doesn’t even crack top 5.

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by Ashes

Man, sometimes I forget how Liberal most of CP really is (at least in the off-topic forum), this has been quite the refresher.

Venezuelan people partying in the streets around the world. Even over here in Europe I ran into a family on vacation and they were celebrating, but the left hates Trump so much they can't accept it. Carry on I guess.

Bigger "issue" I see here is the repercussions of the US gaining access to the largest raw minerals market on the planet, Venezuela has the largest oil and gold deposits on earth I believe, and now the US has even more reason to reduce their reliance on Canada going forward. THATS the issue for us.

Carney couldn't get a deal done with the US to ensure our economic future, and the US pivoted - while also freeing the people of Venezuela from a dictator. All in all, great day for the US and the people of Venezuela, and as for Canada.. we lose again.

Someone with better knowledge of oil and gas can explain this much better than I can... but I believe the "type" of oil that they extract in Venezuela is different than what we have here in Alberta, and so US refineries are still setup to convert Canadian oil for now? But after a few years, that wont be a problem. Also I believe Russian and Venezuelan oil are essentially the same "type", any oil gurus out there care to explain the implications better?

Regardless, Keystone not getting built a decade ago is such a colossal failure.

Expelling a dictator is good but let's not pretend installing a foreign dictator's puppet government is going to be any better. Don't pretend this is about freedom for Venezuelans, it's about getting US companies access to oil because the elites that weren't able to profit from it consider Venezuelan nationalization 'theft'.

There was no deal for Canada to make with the US that would be good for our interests. Carney is doing exactly what he should be doing, stringing the fascists along while strengthening ties elsewhere.

Keystone getting built or not built was entirely a US decision, and multiple Presidents across both parties didn't change that.

Originally Posted by Scroopy Noopers

And am I the only one who doesn’t think Trump has anything to do with this. This was going to be the republican move regardless who was in power. So is Greenland, so is Canada. It doesn’t go away with him. I’m not even thinking of him through this. I’m thinking how ####ed that country and its leadership is, top to bottom.

Exactly. Trump doesn't even know what room he's in half the time. Blaming anything the US does on Trump is a no go anymore, he's just the sleeping face of it

[blankall]

Originally Posted by afc wimbledon

Every dictator has enough support to keep them in power against the will of the majority, what that means in reality is a very very committed well armed 30% or so, which becomes the beginning of the 'resistance'

I don't think a dictator even needs that kind of support to stay in power. They just need to make a certain percentage of the population too afraid to act. There are plenty of dictators who have stayed in power well past the point that had any kind of widespread popularity. That's evident by how easy various dictators were brought down once people started to act.

If a dictator is popular enough with just the army, that's often enough to keep them in power. Even then, that can be an illusion, as an army may not be prepared to fight it's own people on a large scale.

Even the issue if support is a bit murky. Many people will support a dictator who benefits them or causes fear in them. As soon as that dictator appears to be a sinking ship, they'll quickly change allegiances.

Then you've got situations like North Korea. Where information and communication is so controlled, people cannot make an informed decision on support.

Anyways back to the topic, Trump kidnapping another head of state is wild. Particularly for the reasons given. The narcotics causing the USA's current health crisis are coming from China. If order breaks down in Venezuela, that's not going to result in drug dealers having less activity.