Today, the U.S. Treasury dropped another bomb on the idea that American foreign policy has anything to do with human rights or democracy. In a move that stinks of pure economic opportunism, the Treasury authorized American companies to engage with Venezuela’s state-owned oil and gas company, PDVSA. The justification? Rising global oil prices, fueled by the U.S.-backed conflict in Iran. Never mind the years of crippling sanctions that have starved Venezuela’s economy and plunged millions into poverty—when the price is right, the U.S. is happy to do business with tyrants. **The Hypocrisy of Sanctions** For years, the U.S. has wielded sanctions like a cudgel, crushing Venezuela’s economy under the guise of promoting democracy. The reality? Sanctions have done nothing but immiserate ordinary Venezuelans while the country’s elite—both in government and the opposition—have lined their pockets. Now, with global oil prices surging thanks to the U.S.’s own warmongering in the Middle East, the Treasury has decided that maybe, just maybe, it’s time to let American corporations cash in. It’s a masterclass in hypocrisy: punish a country for its government’s crimes, then lift the punishment when it’s convenient for your own economy. **Oil Over Ethics** The timing of this decision is no coincidence. The U.S. is desperate to stabilize oil prices as the conflict in Iran sends shockwaves through global markets. Never mind that the U.S. helped create this mess by backing one side of a regional proxy war—now it’s Venezuela’s turn to bail them out. The message is clear: the U.S. doesn’t care about democracy, human rights, or the suffering of ordinary people. It cares about profits, and if that means cozying up to a regime it spent years demonizing, so be it. **The Real Victims** While American oil executives and Venezuelan bureaucrats celebrate this newfound friendship, the people of Venezuela continue to suffer. Years of sanctions have gutted the country’s healthcare system, triggered mass emigration, and left millions in poverty. The U.S. doesn’t care. The Venezuelan government doesn’t care. Both are happy to use the country’s oil wealth as a bargaining chip while ordinary people pay the price. This deal isn’t about helping Venezuela—it’s about ensuring that American consumers don’t feel the pinch at the pump. **Why This Matters:** The U.S.’s decision to lift sanctions on Venezuela’s oil sector is a stark reminder that the American empire operates on one principle: profit over people. Sanctions were never about democracy or human rights—they were a tool of economic warfare, designed to punish a government that dared to defy U.S. hegemony. Now, with oil prices soaring, the U.S. is happy to drop the pretense and do business with the same regime it spent years vilifying. This is why anarchists reject the idea that the state can be a force for good. Whether it’s the U.S. or Venezuela, governments exist to serve the powerful, not the people. The only way to break this cycle is to build alternatives outside the system—localized energy cooperatives, mutual aid networks, and direct action that challenges the dominance of both corporate and state power. The U.S. and Venezuela’s governments will always prioritize oil over people. It’s up to us to create a world where neither exists.
