Having read your various pieces on Central Banks and their monopoly of world finance and financing, even instigating wars, how would you say this factors into Engdahl's oil focus, with regard to Venezuela?
Great question. Engdahl doesn't actually separate oil from banking—they're two arms of the same power structure.
In *A Century of War* and *Gods of Money*, he traces how the Rockefellers controlled both the major oil companies AND the major banks (Chase Manhattan). The 1973 oil shock wasn't just about oil prices—it was engineered to recycle petrodollars through Wall Street and prop up the dollar after Nixon severed the gold link. The Saudis agreed to price oil exclusively in dollars and park their surplus in US Treasuries. Oil and dollar hegemony became fused.
Venezuela threatened both. Chavez moved to price oil outside the dollar. Maduro accepted yuan from China. This is existential to the petrodollar system.
Notice the sequence: financial warfare first (sanctions, asset freezes, SWIFT exclusion), then military action when strangulation fails. Same playbook as Mossadegh—British banks froze Iranian assets before the CIA coup.
But here's where it goes deeper than Engdahl takes it.
Chevron maintained continuous operations through both Maduro's nationalisation AND US sanctions. And Trump chose to work with Delcy Rodríguez—Maduro's own vice president—not the democracy-promotion opposition. The personnel change; the extraction apparatus remains constant.
This is what Paul Cudenec identifies: apparent political conflicts dissolve when you trace capital flows rather than rhetoric. Engdahl documents *how* oil and banking work together. But as Cudenec shows, and as my Central Bank research explores, the Rockefellers are very likely instruments of older networks—the Rothschild banking dynasties that created the central banking architecture in the first place.
Engdahl documents the claws. The Central Bank material traces them back to the body.
Venezuela’s Central Bank is fully state-owned and controlled by the government. One of the few countries remaining that has not had their banking system fully forced into the clutches of the Western criminal cartels of the IMF/World Bank etc.
In the 1990s, Wilbur Ross (a key figure at Rothschild Inc.) helped restructure Donald Trump's casino debts, enabling him to avoid personal bankruptcy during his Atlantic City crisis.
"Well done Donald J Trump"- Nat Rothschild 1/3/26 4:41 AM
One seldom mentioned fact by western politicians and media pundits: the Central Bank of ________ is 100% State Owned. . . . Currently, the ________ government creates its own money through the facilities of its own central bank. Few can argue that _______ is a sovereign nation with its own great resources, able to sustain its own economic destiny. One major problem for globalist banking cartels is that in order to do business with ______, they must go through the _______ Central Bank and its national currency, a place where they have absolutely zero dominion or power-broking ability. Hence, taking down the Central Bank of ______ may not appear in the speeches of ______, _____ and ______ but this is certainly at the top of the globalist agenda for absorbing _______ into its hive of compliant nations.
_____ not only has oil. According to the IMF, its central bank has nearly ______ of gold in its vaults. With that sort of asset base, who needs the BIS, the IMF and their rules?
There is a lack of objective information about those private bankers. The main reason they are private is this makes it much easier to put pressure on them. And the pressure always is that the desires of the anglosaxon elites must be decisive.
.
Since part of the business model they use is to handle wealth for rich people world wide it enables the anglosaxons to have an extremely exploitative operation undermining nation states.
.
Both through the central banks where the idea was to rule above the democracies and in the interest of the anglosaxons but also in the Off Shore Trusts. There is nothing that any of the individuals at the top is actually ruling in the sense of following personal wims like some autocrat.
.
They have the worlds upper class as their clients. And the clients are customers to their services. It is the expectations of the client class of economically independent people and families that determines the priorities of those bankers.
.
The idea that someone is pulling the strings a little bit like Disraeli suggested in his books in the 19th century is in my view a myth and the spreading of that myth has been the work of the British. Disraeli was the only jewish prime minister presumably because he helped them with that myth. Why spreading such rumours?
.
Obviously for the purpose of isolating the group the British recruited to handle their finances. Isolating them so Britain could control them. There are incidents that none of the concerned actors ever mention but where there were indications that Britain threatened the Rothschilds in no uncertain terms.
.
The simple explanation of that was that Britains economic rivals were too competitive. What followed was revolutions wars and the establishment of the FED. This is usually presented as something the (often jewish) bankers conjured and imposed on the world. But being private bankers and without any particular nation to care for they were well positioned to continue collaborating with Germany and Russia.
.
Only Britain was desperate to avoid that. That is where nazism and zionism and communism came from! All three associated with significant British meddling more than from any other party.
.
Britain with great patience and planning managed to play both Germans Russians and Jews against each other. A full triplet!
.
Carroll Quigley explained the elaborate networks the British organised and how they constituted a full spectrum dominance of opinionmaking.
.
It has transpired that journalists were recruited as intel agents already from the start in 1909 when Britains Pilgrim Society invaded the US.
.
Americans are not well informed about how Britains influence has shaped their nation. .
Thanks for your extensive reply. It helps me piece together the underlying machinations. Engdahl as you noted only goes so far. Follow the money not the rhetoric. And it always seems to end up with the Rothschilds, for centuries.
An excellent analysis. There is no doubt in my mind that the conclusion reached is correct on two counts:
1. Control of the oil for the sake of the oil itself, and,
2. Denial of that oil to China for the sake of destroying her increasingly competitive powers.
However, while the entire premise may be true, there is one thing which cannot be overlooked, i.e., that the US empire is nearly at the end of its lifespan--deeply indebted, universally hated, corrupt beyond measure, and arrogant beyond belief. These characteristics guarantee that, sooner or later, it will go too far in attempting to shape world opinion and action to its liking and will run up against an opponent, natural law, which cannot be overcome and the edifice will self-destruct.
How long that will take is anyone's guess but the powers that be seem to be increasingly desperate and willing to risk everything to achieve their goals, including the destruction of American society and economy itself, completing the cycle of the corruption inherent in absolute power.
All we can do is wait for that to happen. Patience, clear-headed thinking, and faith in an absolute truth are the attributes called for, with an understanding that these are not going to be given to us by any government, institution, politician, or broker, but must come within the depths of our souls individually as we live day to day throughout the chaos and disorder.
Success breeds confidence which generates hubris which causes overreach which creates mistakes which have consequences which result in disaster which end in downfall.
"Success breeds confidence which generates hubris which causes overreach which creates mistakes which have consequences which result in disaster which end in downfall."
This is generally the case, but the consequences can be earth-shattering. The crazy bastards behind this are determined to take all the marbles, whatever the cost.
Please, dont call Maduro Venezuelas “president”. While the US does want to get to our resources (there is much more than oil in Venezuela) Maduro is a murderous dictator, and for the past 26 years we and our families have been suffering horribly under this violent regime (preceded by Chavez).
Two things can be true at the same time: the US government has a disregard for the rule of law and abuses other nations to seek their interest, while Venezuelans have been enduring a brutal regime, so brutal that the vast majority of the country is relieved to have the US invade us.
We are already organizing and protesting to have the opposition (who won the last elections with considerable advantage), represented by Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez, to assume power, while the US administration seems to be trying to leave Delcy Rodriguez, the current “vicepresident” and who is worse than Maduro, in power, because she will play ball with them. The fight continuous, and if you care about Venezuela (even if not about Venezuelan people, but our resources), then maybe support us in our efforts to get someone of integrity into power.
Cuba 1917-33 Troops Military occupation, economic protectorate
Panama 1918-20 Troops "Police duty" during unrest after elections
Honduras 1919 Troops Marines land during election campaign
Guatemala 1920 Troops 2-week intervention against unionists
Costa Rica 1921 Troops
Panama 1921 Troops
Honduras 1924-25 Troops Landed twice during election strife
Panama 1925 Troops Marines suppress general strike
El Salvador 1932 Naval Warships sent during Faribundo Marti revolt
Uruguay 1947 Nuclear threat Bombers deployed as show of strength
Puerto Rico 1950 Command operation Independence rebellion crushed in Ponce
Guatemala 1954-? Command operation, bombing, nuclear threat CIA directs exile invasion and coup d'Etat after newly elected government nationalizes unused U.S.'s United Fruit Company lands; bombers based in Nicaragua; long-term result: 200,000 murdered
Panama 1958 Troops Flag protests erupt into confrontation
Cuba 1961 Command operation CIA-directed exile invasion fails
Cuba 1962 Nuclear threat, naval Blockade during missile crisis; near-war with Soviet Union
Panama 1964 Troops Panamanians shot for urging canal's return
Dominican Republic 1965-66 Troops, bombing Marines land during election campaign
Guatemala 1966-67 Command operation Green Berets intervene against rebels
Chile 1973 Command operation CIA-backed coup ousts democratically elected Marxist president
El Salvador 1981-92 Command operation, troops Advisors, overflights aid anti-rebel war, soldiers briefly involved in hostage clash; long-term result: 75,000 murdered and destruction of popular movement
Nicaragua 1981-90 Command operation, naval CIA directs exile (Contra) invasions, plants harbor mines against revolution; result: 50,000 murdered
Honduras 1982-90 Troops Maneuvers help build bases near borders
Grenada 1983-84 Troops, bombing Invasion four years after revolution
Bolivia 1987 Troops Army assists raids on cocaine region
Panama 1989 Troops, bombing Nationalist government ousted by 27,000 soldiers, leaders arrested, 2000+ killed
Haiti 1994-95 Troops, naval Blockade against military government; troops restore President Aristide to office three years after coup
Venezuela 2002 Command operation Failed coup attempt to remove left-populist president Hugo Chavez
Haiti 2004- Troops Removal of democratically elected President Aristide; troops occupy country
Honduras 2009 Command operation Support for coup that removed president Manuel Zelaya
Hi everyone. I understand your skepticism. I dont know how to provide the “evidence” you seek, you have access to the same information as me online, so you can all search about the killings, violence, torture of political prisioners by the government and their colectivos and about the dire humanitarian conditions we have faced - the lack of food, the lack of access to medicine, etc. If you think the sanctions is what created this chaos, you are very wrong. People usually end up dismissing the information because they dislike/dont trust this or that sources (do you think the dictatorship and their allies will be reporting on their crimes?). And if I share my personal accounts, then these are also dismissed because they are “anecdotes”.
Why do you think ca. 8 million venezuelans have left the country (many of whom did it by foot, crossing places like the Darien with their families?) do you think people who are not desperate to survive would decide to just pay some smugglers their life savings to be thrown in the middle of the ocean and wait for a boat to pick them there?! (this is one of the routes of crossing upwards towards central america).
To those reminding me that the US has a horrible history of interfering and doing terrible stuff - I know! Im not denying that. What Im saying is that the Maduro government (and the Chavez one before it) has been a brutal dictatorship. Does that mean the the US has not taken down good leaders from countries it was interested in in the past - no, Im sure they would have murdered/etc any good leader that stood in their way. This is not the case here - the fact that they are problematic to the US doesnt make them the good guys.
How do I know Maria Corina has integrity? I dont know for sure, but I think (and hope) she does. What I can say is that I have never seen a politician be so consistent and coherent through-out their career, and she has also sacrificed a lot (she could have left the country ages ago).
To those dismissing me as a bot or propaganda… i hope you never have to cry yourself to sleep because your sibling was kidnapped in a protest, see your loved ones fade away because there is nothing to eat, sleep on the floor listening to cocoraches while you migrate hoping to find opportunities, lose your hard earned money buying the fake government imposed value of a currency while you try to send remittances to support your family, listen to your friends who are still there crying because they dont have access to electricity or water. And then have half of the world try to gaslight you because your reality makes them uncomfortable and requires them to break out of their binary political stances.
Oh, since the “atlantic council” said so, me and the other 28+ million venezuelans can be rest assured that our memories are false and that all the abuses we lived through did not happen. What a relief…
The crises and horrible abuses predated the major sectorial sanctions….its actually easy to find out about if you care enough.
I need examples and evidence of your murderous dictator, untold suffering, you claim Maduro has done. This same crap is said about Putin and I don't believe a word of it.
You are an uncritical product of propaganda. You are trapped in the duopoly theater. (That's what American domestic politics is - theater.) Both the right and the left are totally controlled. Only by escaping the Left v Right "Matrix" (referring to the movie) can you start to see clearly. So, yes, indeed, if you were a "bot" you would have no head to pull out of your nonexistent ass. So, as a professed human, you still have that work to do.
I agree with you - i think politics is theater. My comment tryes to challenge that simplistic binary thinking (US government bad - then adversaries good)- and thats why i say that two things can be true at the same time.
The US is the head of the Western imperial system. To use your language, that's "bad." It's bad for the targets of US imperialism (who the US ruling class wants to loot - both resources and via cheap labor) and it's bad for the overwhelming majority of regular Americans. It distorts our political system, (representative democracy is a joke in the US), makes it corrupt and it is why, for the vast majority, real wages (income) has been stagnant or in decline since 1970. The US ruling class doesn't give a damn about what's good for America and Americans. You should not equate the interests of the US government with the interests of working Americans. The real division we have is not between right and left, it is between top and down, that is, a tiny super rich oligarchy and the rest of us just trying to have a decent life. The "good vs bad" trope is for people whose political understanding is that of children who believe in Santa Claus. We are the most propagandized, indoctrinated and socially engineered population (and poisoned!) on earth. It is well past due for us to grow up politically...
USA only interested in aggressive cowboy tactics to achieve “global spectrum dominance”,( their own term) intervening/ manipulating other countries ..for empty profits, not very spirituality advanced or evolved way for humans to behave
Isnt it funny how so many people in this thread, who love to criticize how the US government is imperialistic and a colonizer, embody those exact qualities and have no regard in dismissing the only person of this thread who is an actual venezuelan and has experienced in flesh the regimen that you are discussing, and are happy to “educate me” on what Im actually experiencing, while tryng to constantly reduce me calling me ridiculous names (bot, propaganda, character, …)
I'm afraid your claims mean nothing without evidence. Please present more than an opinion. It's imperative, because it's difficult for people who don't live in Venezuela to evaluate what you're saying, when many of us have heard and read information that doesn't align with what you're saying here.
Whether the underlying reason is control of oil reserves, or something else, seems besides the point, at least to me. What we are seeing is the most unabashed neo-con Administration in my lifetime, in close coordination with Netanyahu’s, literally smash and destroy whatever they feel like, just because they can. There is virtually no internal opposition here in the USA, and no one abroad can match the raw power of these two demonic forces. I have never felt so shitty about the future since the ramp up to the invasion of Iraq.
I do believe Cheney/Bush was the worst Administration in American history. What I meant in my comment above, but didn’t take the time to fully develop, was that, IF Trump 2.0 continues to act for the next 3 years the way it has acted for the first year, it would be the worst. Extrapolation. One thing that is new, and bizarre, even if you LOVE what is going on in Israel, is the relationship between Netanyahu’s and Trump. Whatever is going on, and I don’t claim to know, the degree to which DJT has become a public mouthpiece for Bibi is unbecoming behavior for any US President.
Very interesting analysis and comparative of the history of Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (later BP) but as today Venezuela holds more proven oil reserves than Saudi Arabia. On paper, this makes it the most resource-rich oil state on the planet.
In practice, reserves without logistics, capital, and trust are just geology.
Years of underinvestment, sanctions, corruption, and mismanagement hollowed out production capacity and export infrastructure. Pipelines, terminals, upgraders, and ports all suffered — creating bottlenecks that no policy shift can solve overnight.
Today, production sits at roughly 900,000 barrels per day — less than 10% of US output and far below Venezuela’s historical peak. Even in optimistic scenarios, analysts suggest production might reach around 2 million barrels per day over the next decade, which would still leave Venezuela producing less than Texas alone.
Yes, I’ve heard that it would take around a decade to build up output substantially. I’ve also been hearing on here some talk about voting machines, etc. Will be very interesting to see how that goes.
I’ve been fascinated by the voting machines for years. Will be interesting to see if we ever learn the extent of their involvement in tipping close elections.
Another great article, thank you. I bookmark more of your essays than anyone else on the net.
Engdahl is only documenting the actions that come from a primitive human nature and human consciousness that has been with us since we came out of the caves 200,000 years ago.
Those who have technological/military superiority will use it to advance their interests.
There is nothing new about that. What's the old saying? "Power abhors a vacuum."
It is vitally necessary to expose the hypocrisy of power-mongers -- and Engdahl does that superbly -- yet nothing changes. It's essentially a sophisticated form of bitching about the human condition.
The underlying difficulty is human nature. Until we solve the problem of human consciousness -- why humans fight and kill each other for resources instead of cooperating and sharing resources -- it will continue. This planet has so much wealth we could, right now, create a prosperous, happy world. The fact that we have not done this since the last Ice Age reflects the more basic and fundamental problem of how we define ourselves as human beings.
Forgive me if I take another path. And again it involves Jewish oligarchs and the destruction of the orthodox Christian nation of Russia. A country I have great respect for and am adamant about partnering with if we really want to crush the New World order lead by the Zionist bankers. First off why the hell is Trump insanely trying to protect Ukraine and legitimize the CIA groomed corrupt Vlodymyr Zelensky regime? Fact: Russia wasn’t and is not the aggressor in Ukraine, NATO is! First of all let me make this very clear, Ukraine is and was the aggressor as NATO and the United States reneged on every major promise to Russia & put forces on Putin’s border. Second Ukraine is literally a evil puppet nation created by the CIA led coup using the Nazi Azov battalion against Viktor Yanukovych in 2014. Under Obama the CIA and DOD started the illegal Ukrainian deadly covert bio weapons manufacturing labs doing gain of function against the 75’ Bio Weapons Convention Treaty. Third it’s a haven for Nazis, money laundering, child trafficking and illegal black market live organ dealing. Fourth: The Ethnic cleansing of innocent Russia supporting Ukrainian citizens in the eastern province of Donbas by Ukrainian Azov battalion Nazis is literally genocide. Fifth: Let’s talk about FTX and the billion’s laundered through Ukraine by dirtbag Sam Bankman-Fried and funneled right back to U.S politicians? And yes, in both parties. Sixth: The Russia hoax has been proven to be a lie perpetrated by Obama and Hillary and the CIA who are also involved in the money laundering in Ukraine so why are we still viewing Putin as an enemy when it’s been unequivocally shown that Putin and Russia are the victims of NATO and Ukrainian Minsk Accord agreement violations. The fact that Trump is actually entertaining this drug addicted perverted fraud Zelensky and supporting the corrupt cesspool of Ukraine is an absolute total slap in the face to MAGA conservatives and an embarrassment to United States. Something is very very wrong here folks. Now with the Bush style nation building in Venezuela Trump and his Jewish puppet master Miriam Adelson who is in bed with the CPP can again, like the Jewish Bolshevik, try to crush the amazing orthodox Christian mother land. This time using oil as an economic Billy Club. I will gladly remind you that Julian Assange and JFK and Charlie Kirk all tried to warn us about Israel. Do I need to also remind you what happened to them? Hmm! https://open.substack.com/pub/steve2r3wi/p/the-truth-about-ukraine-2fd?r=1ln4a0&utm_medium=ios
Not until humanity realizes its actual power to put an end to this madness will anything change - a fact that keeps the de facto power establishment of money and military might awake at night.
Couldn't be more timely!!! Engdhal is great! I have read "Manifest Destiny" as well as many of his articles over the years. It is always interesting to me that the right's bete noir, the "Liberal" they love to hate most, George Soros, got his start destabilizing Poland in the 1980's for the CIA during the Reagan/Bush administration. I wonder if they understood his real role in US empire if they would think the same?
- The various “oil wars” of the 21st were not to assert control on oil reserves, but to diminish his distribution, in order to create scarcity, give validation to the neo-Malthusian “peak oil” theory and provoke economic downturn to third parties other that participants in this “theater” (as in the fictional “war in Ukraine”, which is also used to advance the genocidal “green” agenda and perform controlled demolition and dismissal of the “COVID” hoax without accountability)
The only solution is to consider the “events in Venezuela” as a fictional hoax that happens trough the screen, not in the real world (even members of the ousted government claims western media have used AI) and, in any case, we should not absolutely care.
If a politician, journalist or oil speculator says or act in the manner that we should care about this “geopolitical” Kosher theater, give them a slap in the face.
Excellent. I love Mr. Engdahl's work but we all have our blind spots. I'd say both Russia and China are in on it as the center of the empire switches to Eurasia. Russia plays a role in the IMF and other institutions. It's all theater.
It seems that almost everything we have been told or taught is either a complete lie or a partial truth. The longer I live the more I realize that all those in power, regardless the country, are corrupt and evil. I am appalled that there are people that vehemently support one political party or the other, failing to see that's it all kabuki theater. Sadly, all I ever read is problems and never any solutions because I don't think there is a solution; we can only live a honorable life and try to stay below the radar. Thankfully I am old, and probably won't be around when the whole deck of cards comes tumbling town, and the US will look like Venezuela or Ukraine. Any more optimism is just a word I read in a dictionary.
This is all about eliminating a major globalist hangout in the Western hemisphere...I may be wrong, but I think Trump is doing a good thing....his pre COVID speech at Davos ran down his vision for a free world with trade between autonomous nations....his anti-globalist strategy outlined here is a good indication of where he is doing: National Security Strategy 2025:
Americans having education, but little breeding..if they even know what that word means.they are the cowboys of yesteryear..havingthe predatory frontiersman energy of taking over other countries..for self gain, unconscious of collateral damage..their annihilation of the indigenous Indian population was of no consequence to them..a third world unevolved nation stuck in a tribal territorialism of them being the biggest and best..& as Shakespeare said..so aptly.. like an actor shouting on the stage.. signifying nothing
Having read your various pieces on Central Banks and their monopoly of world finance and financing, even instigating wars, how would you say this factors into Engdahl's oil focus, with regard to Venezuela?
Great question. Engdahl doesn't actually separate oil from banking—they're two arms of the same power structure.
In *A Century of War* and *Gods of Money*, he traces how the Rockefellers controlled both the major oil companies AND the major banks (Chase Manhattan). The 1973 oil shock wasn't just about oil prices—it was engineered to recycle petrodollars through Wall Street and prop up the dollar after Nixon severed the gold link. The Saudis agreed to price oil exclusively in dollars and park their surplus in US Treasuries. Oil and dollar hegemony became fused.
Venezuela threatened both. Chavez moved to price oil outside the dollar. Maduro accepted yuan from China. This is existential to the petrodollar system.
Notice the sequence: financial warfare first (sanctions, asset freezes, SWIFT exclusion), then military action when strangulation fails. Same playbook as Mossadegh—British banks froze Iranian assets before the CIA coup.
But here's where it goes deeper than Engdahl takes it.
Chevron maintained continuous operations through both Maduro's nationalisation AND US sanctions. And Trump chose to work with Delcy Rodríguez—Maduro's own vice president—not the democracy-promotion opposition. The personnel change; the extraction apparatus remains constant.
This is what Paul Cudenec identifies: apparent political conflicts dissolve when you trace capital flows rather than rhetoric. Engdahl documents *how* oil and banking work together. But as Cudenec shows, and as my Central Bank research explores, the Rockefellers are very likely instruments of older networks—the Rothschild banking dynasties that created the central banking architecture in the first place.
Engdahl documents the claws. The Central Bank material traces them back to the body.
Venezuela’s Central Bank is fully state-owned and controlled by the government. One of the few countries remaining that has not had their banking system fully forced into the clutches of the Western criminal cartels of the IMF/World Bank etc.
In the 1990s, Wilbur Ross (a key figure at Rothschild Inc.) helped restructure Donald Trump's casino debts, enabling him to avoid personal bankruptcy during his Atlantic City crisis.
"Well done Donald J Trump"- Nat Rothschild 1/3/26 4:41 AM
https://x.com/NatRothschild1/status/2007386888529903759
One seldom mentioned fact by western politicians and media pundits: the Central Bank of ________ is 100% State Owned. . . . Currently, the ________ government creates its own money through the facilities of its own central bank. Few can argue that _______ is a sovereign nation with its own great resources, able to sustain its own economic destiny. One major problem for globalist banking cartels is that in order to do business with ______, they must go through the _______ Central Bank and its national currency, a place where they have absolutely zero dominion or power-broking ability. Hence, taking down the Central Bank of ______ may not appear in the speeches of ______, _____ and ______ but this is certainly at the top of the globalist agenda for absorbing _______ into its hive of compliant nations.
_____ not only has oil. According to the IMF, its central bank has nearly ______ of gold in its vaults. With that sort of asset base, who needs the BIS, the IMF and their rules?
Great comment!
There is a lack of objective information about those private bankers. The main reason they are private is this makes it much easier to put pressure on them. And the pressure always is that the desires of the anglosaxon elites must be decisive.
.
Since part of the business model they use is to handle wealth for rich people world wide it enables the anglosaxons to have an extremely exploitative operation undermining nation states.
.
Both through the central banks where the idea was to rule above the democracies and in the interest of the anglosaxons but also in the Off Shore Trusts. There is nothing that any of the individuals at the top is actually ruling in the sense of following personal wims like some autocrat.
.
They have the worlds upper class as their clients. And the clients are customers to their services. It is the expectations of the client class of economically independent people and families that determines the priorities of those bankers.
.
The idea that someone is pulling the strings a little bit like Disraeli suggested in his books in the 19th century is in my view a myth and the spreading of that myth has been the work of the British. Disraeli was the only jewish prime minister presumably because he helped them with that myth. Why spreading such rumours?
.
Obviously for the purpose of isolating the group the British recruited to handle their finances. Isolating them so Britain could control them. There are incidents that none of the concerned actors ever mention but where there were indications that Britain threatened the Rothschilds in no uncertain terms.
.
The simple explanation of that was that Britains economic rivals were too competitive. What followed was revolutions wars and the establishment of the FED. This is usually presented as something the (often jewish) bankers conjured and imposed on the world. But being private bankers and without any particular nation to care for they were well positioned to continue collaborating with Germany and Russia.
.
Only Britain was desperate to avoid that. That is where nazism and zionism and communism came from! All three associated with significant British meddling more than from any other party.
.
Britain with great patience and planning managed to play both Germans Russians and Jews against each other. A full triplet!
.
Carroll Quigley explained the elaborate networks the British organised and how they constituted a full spectrum dominance of opinionmaking.
.
It has transpired that journalists were recruited as intel agents already from the start in 1909 when Britains Pilgrim Society invaded the US.
.
Americans are not well informed about how Britains influence has shaped their nation. .
Thanks for your extensive reply. It helps me piece together the underlying machinations. Engdahl as you noted only goes so far. Follow the money not the rhetoric. And it always seems to end up with the Rothschilds, for centuries.
Re Nixon and gold, have you seen: https://wtfhappenedin1971.com
And this is an excellent read on financialization: https://ice9.substack.com/p/financialization-and-the-road-to-zero
An excellent analysis. There is no doubt in my mind that the conclusion reached is correct on two counts:
1. Control of the oil for the sake of the oil itself, and,
2. Denial of that oil to China for the sake of destroying her increasingly competitive powers.
However, while the entire premise may be true, there is one thing which cannot be overlooked, i.e., that the US empire is nearly at the end of its lifespan--deeply indebted, universally hated, corrupt beyond measure, and arrogant beyond belief. These characteristics guarantee that, sooner or later, it will go too far in attempting to shape world opinion and action to its liking and will run up against an opponent, natural law, which cannot be overcome and the edifice will self-destruct.
How long that will take is anyone's guess but the powers that be seem to be increasingly desperate and willing to risk everything to achieve their goals, including the destruction of American society and economy itself, completing the cycle of the corruption inherent in absolute power.
All we can do is wait for that to happen. Patience, clear-headed thinking, and faith in an absolute truth are the attributes called for, with an understanding that these are not going to be given to us by any government, institution, politician, or broker, but must come within the depths of our souls individually as we live day to day throughout the chaos and disorder.
God help us. We're going to need it.
Success breeds confidence which generates hubris which causes overreach which creates mistakes which have consequences which result in disaster which end in downfall.
"Success breeds confidence which generates hubris which causes overreach which creates mistakes which have consequences which result in disaster which end in downfall."
This is generally the case, but the consequences can be earth-shattering. The crazy bastards behind this are determined to take all the marbles, whatever the cost.
Very well said!!
Thank you.
So very well said!!!
Thank you.
Spot on, Roger ... I'll re-post it on my stack. God knows people need to see this kind of blunt truth. Best of luck, friend,
~~ j ~~
I appreciate that.
Here's the link, thanks for your astute comment, which said precisely what I was thinking ... well ... minus something about nuclear armageddon 😅
https://open.substack.com/pub/doc115/p/the-road-to-hell?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web
All the best,
~~ j ~~
Please, dont call Maduro Venezuelas “president”. While the US does want to get to our resources (there is much more than oil in Venezuela) Maduro is a murderous dictator, and for the past 26 years we and our families have been suffering horribly under this violent regime (preceded by Chavez).
Two things can be true at the same time: the US government has a disregard for the rule of law and abuses other nations to seek their interest, while Venezuelans have been enduring a brutal regime, so brutal that the vast majority of the country is relieved to have the US invade us.
We are already organizing and protesting to have the opposition (who won the last elections with considerable advantage), represented by Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez, to assume power, while the US administration seems to be trying to leave Delcy Rodriguez, the current “vicepresident” and who is worse than Maduro, in power, because she will play ball with them. The fight continuous, and if you care about Venezuela (even if not about Venezuelan people, but our resources), then maybe support us in our efforts to get someone of integrity into power.
Can you provide concrete evidence for your claim?
Trump’s intervention in Venezuela is just the latest move in a long and bloody history of US imperialism in Latin America.
The United States has launched over 250 military interventions between 1991 and 2022. Add many of those to the list below.
FROM WOUNDED KNEE TO IRAQ: A CENTURY OF U.S. MILITARY INTERVENTIONS
The following is a partial list of U.S. military interventions from 1890 to 2009.
Here's a short history for you:
Argentina 1890 Troops Buenos Aires interests protected
Chile 1891 Troops Marines clash with nationalist rebels
Haiti 1891 Troops Black workers revolt on U.S.-claimed Navassa Island defeated
Nicaragua 1894 Troops Month-long occupation of Bluefields
Panama 1895 Naval, troops Marines land in Colombian province
Nicaragua 1896 Troops Marines land in port of Corinto
Cuba 1898- Naval, troops Seized from Spain, U.S. still holds Navy base at Guantanamo
Puerto Rico 1898- Naval, troops Seized from Spain, occupation continues
Nicaragua 1898 Troops Marines land at port of San Juan del Sur
Nicaragua 1899 Troops Marines land at port of Bluefields
Honduras 1903 Troops Marines intervene in revolution
Dominican Republic 1903-04 Troops U.S. interests protected in Revolution
Cuba 1906-09 Troops Marines land in democratic election
Nicaragua 1907 Troops "Dollar Diplomacy" protectorate set up
Honduras 1907 Troops Marines land during war with Nicaragua
Panama 1908 Troops Marines intervene in election contest
Nicaragua 1910 Troops Marines land in Bluefields and Corinto
Honduras 1911 Troops U.S. interests protected in civil war
Cuba 1912 Troops U.S. interests protected in Havana
Panama 1912 Troops Marines land during heated election
Honduras 1912 Troops Marines protect U.S. economic interests
Nicaragua 1912-33 Troops, bombing 20-year occupation, fought guerrillas
Mexico 1913 Naval Americans evacuated during revolution
Dominican Republic 1914 Naval Fight with rebels over Santo Domingo
Mexico 1914-18 Naval, troops Series of interventions against nationalists
Haiti 1914-34 Troops, bombing 19-year occupation after revolts
Dominican Republic 1916-24 Troops 8-year Marine occupation
Cuba 1917-33 Troops Military occupation, economic protectorate
Panama 1918-20 Troops "Police duty" during unrest after elections
Honduras 1919 Troops Marines land during election campaign
Guatemala 1920 Troops 2-week intervention against unionists
Costa Rica 1921 Troops
Panama 1921 Troops
Honduras 1924-25 Troops Landed twice during election strife
Panama 1925 Troops Marines suppress general strike
El Salvador 1932 Naval Warships sent during Faribundo Marti revolt
Uruguay 1947 Nuclear threat Bombers deployed as show of strength
Puerto Rico 1950 Command operation Independence rebellion crushed in Ponce
Guatemala 1954-? Command operation, bombing, nuclear threat CIA directs exile invasion and coup d'Etat after newly elected government nationalizes unused U.S.'s United Fruit Company lands; bombers based in Nicaragua; long-term result: 200,000 murdered
Panama 1958 Troops Flag protests erupt into confrontation
Cuba 1961 Command operation CIA-directed exile invasion fails
Cuba 1962 Nuclear threat, naval Blockade during missile crisis; near-war with Soviet Union
Panama 1964 Troops Panamanians shot for urging canal's return
Dominican Republic 1965-66 Troops, bombing Marines land during election campaign
Guatemala 1966-67 Command operation Green Berets intervene against rebels
Chile 1973 Command operation CIA-backed coup ousts democratically elected Marxist president
El Salvador 1981-92 Command operation, troops Advisors, overflights aid anti-rebel war, soldiers briefly involved in hostage clash; long-term result: 75,000 murdered and destruction of popular movement
Nicaragua 1981-90 Command operation, naval CIA directs exile (Contra) invasions, plants harbor mines against revolution; result: 50,000 murdered
Honduras 1982-90 Troops Maneuvers help build bases near borders
Grenada 1983-84 Troops, bombing Invasion four years after revolution
Bolivia 1987 Troops Army assists raids on cocaine region
Panama 1989 Troops, bombing Nationalist government ousted by 27,000 soldiers, leaders arrested, 2000+ killed
Haiti 1994-95 Troops, naval Blockade against military government; troops restore President Aristide to office three years after coup
Venezuela 2002 Command operation Failed coup attempt to remove left-populist president Hugo Chavez
Haiti 2004- Troops Removal of democratically elected President Aristide; troops occupy country
Honduras 2009 Command operation Support for coup that removed president Manuel Zelaya
https://www.veteransforpeace.org/files/3513/3227/0400/a_century_of_MILITARY_INTERVENTIONS.pdf
Hi everyone. I understand your skepticism. I dont know how to provide the “evidence” you seek, you have access to the same information as me online, so you can all search about the killings, violence, torture of political prisioners by the government and their colectivos and about the dire humanitarian conditions we have faced - the lack of food, the lack of access to medicine, etc. If you think the sanctions is what created this chaos, you are very wrong. People usually end up dismissing the information because they dislike/dont trust this or that sources (do you think the dictatorship and their allies will be reporting on their crimes?). And if I share my personal accounts, then these are also dismissed because they are “anecdotes”.
Why do you think ca. 8 million venezuelans have left the country (many of whom did it by foot, crossing places like the Darien with their families?) do you think people who are not desperate to survive would decide to just pay some smugglers their life savings to be thrown in the middle of the ocean and wait for a boat to pick them there?! (this is one of the routes of crossing upwards towards central america).
To those reminding me that the US has a horrible history of interfering and doing terrible stuff - I know! Im not denying that. What Im saying is that the Maduro government (and the Chavez one before it) has been a brutal dictatorship. Does that mean the the US has not taken down good leaders from countries it was interested in in the past - no, Im sure they would have murdered/etc any good leader that stood in their way. This is not the case here - the fact that they are problematic to the US doesnt make them the good guys.
How do I know Maria Corina has integrity? I dont know for sure, but I think (and hope) she does. What I can say is that I have never seen a politician be so consistent and coherent through-out their career, and she has also sacrificed a lot (she could have left the country ages ago).
To those dismissing me as a bot or propaganda… i hope you never have to cry yourself to sleep because your sibling was kidnapped in a protest, see your loved ones fade away because there is nothing to eat, sleep on the floor listening to cocoraches while you migrate hoping to find opportunities, lose your hard earned money buying the fake government imposed value of a currency while you try to send remittances to support your family, listen to your friends who are still there crying because they dont have access to electricity or water. And then have half of the world try to gaslight you because your reality makes them uncomfortable and requires them to break out of their binary political stances.
We exist, even if you dont want to see us.
"If you think the sanctions is what created this chaos, you are very wrong."
Because you said so?
Even the Atlantic council said it....
https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-research-reports/issue-brief/maximum-pressure-sanctions-on-venezuela-help-us-adversaries-hurt-venezuelans/
THINK ABOUT IT.... IF SOMEONE CUT YOUR FAMILY OFF FROM WESTERN BANKS THINGS WOULD BE HAMPERED. DUHHHH
"Even the Atlantic Council said it". Thanks. You made my day with that comment 🤣 Next up: how George Soros and Bill Gates are saving the world?
Yeah it's odd cause they're usually on the side of regime change wars.
That's why I said EVEN they said it.
Only a moron or someone with an agenda would think that sanctions don't hurt people. 😂
It's funny to see this Irene character constantly declare things like sanctions didn't mess up Venezuela's economy.
Oh, since the “atlantic council” said so, me and the other 28+ million venezuelans can be rest assured that our memories are false and that all the abuses we lived through did not happen. What a relief…
The crises and horrible abuses predated the major sectorial sanctions….its actually easy to find out about if you care enough.
Anyway if Maduro is some evil guy and they got him... Why is Trump talking like there's no existing succession of the VP taking the spot?
If Trump was arrested, his VP Vance would be president.
They are talking about this (Marco Rubio did) - her name is Delcy Rodriguez. We are protesting already about this.
I need examples and evidence of your murderous dictator, untold suffering, you claim Maduro has done. This same crap is said about Putin and I don't believe a word of it.
Propaganda bot, pull your head out of your ass!
Im not a bot ahahah
You are an uncritical product of propaganda. You are trapped in the duopoly theater. (That's what American domestic politics is - theater.) Both the right and the left are totally controlled. Only by escaping the Left v Right "Matrix" (referring to the movie) can you start to see clearly. So, yes, indeed, if you were a "bot" you would have no head to pull out of your nonexistent ass. So, as a professed human, you still have that work to do.
I agree with you - i think politics is theater. My comment tryes to challenge that simplistic binary thinking (US government bad - then adversaries good)- and thats why i say that two things can be true at the same time.
The US is the head of the Western imperial system. To use your language, that's "bad." It's bad for the targets of US imperialism (who the US ruling class wants to loot - both resources and via cheap labor) and it's bad for the overwhelming majority of regular Americans. It distorts our political system, (representative democracy is a joke in the US), makes it corrupt and it is why, for the vast majority, real wages (income) has been stagnant or in decline since 1970. The US ruling class doesn't give a damn about what's good for America and Americans. You should not equate the interests of the US government with the interests of working Americans. The real division we have is not between right and left, it is between top and down, that is, a tiny super rich oligarchy and the rest of us just trying to have a decent life. The "good vs bad" trope is for people whose political understanding is that of children who believe in Santa Claus. We are the most propagandized, indoctrinated and socially engineered population (and poisoned!) on earth. It is well past due for us to grow up politically...
USA only interested in aggressive cowboy tactics to achieve “global spectrum dominance”,( their own term) intervening/ manipulating other countries ..for empty profits, not very spirituality advanced or evolved way for humans to behave
Who determines who has integrity?
Not even the USA can vote for a person with integrity.
Also the reason why Venezuela is screwed economically is because the USSA and its banking oligarchs started it with sanctions.
Sanctions are an act of economic war and like war, the people suffer.
If you want true justice for the Venezuelan people you should have called out the sanctions too.
Also Machado, like Guaido are both tools and the Venezuelan people don't like them.
Isnt it funny how so many people in this thread, who love to criticize how the US government is imperialistic and a colonizer, embody those exact qualities and have no regard in dismissing the only person of this thread who is an actual venezuelan and has experienced in flesh the regimen that you are discussing, and are happy to “educate me” on what Im actually experiencing, while tryng to constantly reduce me calling me ridiculous names (bot, propaganda, character, …)
You really do need to stop watching CNN/Fox/CIA news.
I'm afraid your claims mean nothing without evidence. Please present more than an opinion. It's imperative, because it's difficult for people who don't live in Venezuela to evaluate what you're saying, when many of us have heard and read information that doesn't align with what you're saying here.
The internet is swarming with paid influencers, bots and liars.
Video showing Maduro allegedly torturing Venezuelan dissidents is going viral, with 15 million views and 81k likes already.
The only problem? It is actually a scene from a movie.
https://x.com/AlanRMacLeod/status/2008286236335559112
Whether the underlying reason is control of oil reserves, or something else, seems besides the point, at least to me. What we are seeing is the most unabashed neo-con Administration in my lifetime, in close coordination with Netanyahu’s, literally smash and destroy whatever they feel like, just because they can. There is virtually no internal opposition here in the USA, and no one abroad can match the raw power of these two demonic forces. I have never felt so shitty about the future since the ramp up to the invasion of Iraq.
You sound demonic 😘
What??
Go back to goitardia🤗
It’s not a good situation, but in no way is this the most unabashed Neocon administration of our lives (I’m 55). Bush and Cheney were way worse.
I do believe Cheney/Bush was the worst Administration in American history. What I meant in my comment above, but didn’t take the time to fully develop, was that, IF Trump 2.0 continues to act for the next 3 years the way it has acted for the first year, it would be the worst. Extrapolation. One thing that is new, and bizarre, even if you LOVE what is going on in Israel, is the relationship between Netanyahu’s and Trump. Whatever is going on, and I don’t claim to know, the degree to which DJT has become a public mouthpiece for Bibi is unbecoming behavior for any US President.
Oh yes, I have mixed feelings about Trump, but his relationship with Bibi and Israel is a huge red flag for me!
Very interesting analysis and comparative of the history of Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (later BP) but as today Venezuela holds more proven oil reserves than Saudi Arabia. On paper, this makes it the most resource-rich oil state on the planet.
In practice, reserves without logistics, capital, and trust are just geology.
Years of underinvestment, sanctions, corruption, and mismanagement hollowed out production capacity and export infrastructure. Pipelines, terminals, upgraders, and ports all suffered — creating bottlenecks that no policy shift can solve overnight.
Today, production sits at roughly 900,000 barrels per day — less than 10% of US output and far below Venezuela’s historical peak. Even in optimistic scenarios, analysts suggest production might reach around 2 million barrels per day over the next decade, which would still leave Venezuela producing less than Texas alone.
Yes, I’ve heard that it would take around a decade to build up output substantially. I’ve also been hearing on here some talk about voting machines, etc. Will be very interesting to see how that goes.
https://open.substack.com/pub/americanrefugees/p/what-maduro-knows?r=b8fcr&utm_medium=ios
I’ve been fascinated by the voting machines for years. Will be interesting to see if we ever learn the extent of their involvement in tipping close elections.
Another great article, thank you. I bookmark more of your essays than anyone else on the net.
Engdahl is only documenting the actions that come from a primitive human nature and human consciousness that has been with us since we came out of the caves 200,000 years ago.
Those who have technological/military superiority will use it to advance their interests.
There is nothing new about that. What's the old saying? "Power abhors a vacuum."
It is vitally necessary to expose the hypocrisy of power-mongers -- and Engdahl does that superbly -- yet nothing changes. It's essentially a sophisticated form of bitching about the human condition.
The underlying difficulty is human nature. Until we solve the problem of human consciousness -- why humans fight and kill each other for resources instead of cooperating and sharing resources -- it will continue. This planet has so much wealth we could, right now, create a prosperous, happy world. The fact that we have not done this since the last Ice Age reflects the more basic and fundamental problem of how we define ourselves as human beings.
Well said!
Forgive me if I take another path. And again it involves Jewish oligarchs and the destruction of the orthodox Christian nation of Russia. A country I have great respect for and am adamant about partnering with if we really want to crush the New World order lead by the Zionist bankers. First off why the hell is Trump insanely trying to protect Ukraine and legitimize the CIA groomed corrupt Vlodymyr Zelensky regime? Fact: Russia wasn’t and is not the aggressor in Ukraine, NATO is! First of all let me make this very clear, Ukraine is and was the aggressor as NATO and the United States reneged on every major promise to Russia & put forces on Putin’s border. Second Ukraine is literally a evil puppet nation created by the CIA led coup using the Nazi Azov battalion against Viktor Yanukovych in 2014. Under Obama the CIA and DOD started the illegal Ukrainian deadly covert bio weapons manufacturing labs doing gain of function against the 75’ Bio Weapons Convention Treaty. Third it’s a haven for Nazis, money laundering, child trafficking and illegal black market live organ dealing. Fourth: The Ethnic cleansing of innocent Russia supporting Ukrainian citizens in the eastern province of Donbas by Ukrainian Azov battalion Nazis is literally genocide. Fifth: Let’s talk about FTX and the billion’s laundered through Ukraine by dirtbag Sam Bankman-Fried and funneled right back to U.S politicians? And yes, in both parties. Sixth: The Russia hoax has been proven to be a lie perpetrated by Obama and Hillary and the CIA who are also involved in the money laundering in Ukraine so why are we still viewing Putin as an enemy when it’s been unequivocally shown that Putin and Russia are the victims of NATO and Ukrainian Minsk Accord agreement violations. The fact that Trump is actually entertaining this drug addicted perverted fraud Zelensky and supporting the corrupt cesspool of Ukraine is an absolute total slap in the face to MAGA conservatives and an embarrassment to United States. Something is very very wrong here folks. Now with the Bush style nation building in Venezuela Trump and his Jewish puppet master Miriam Adelson who is in bed with the CPP can again, like the Jewish Bolshevik, try to crush the amazing orthodox Christian mother land. This time using oil as an economic Billy Club. I will gladly remind you that Julian Assange and JFK and Charlie Kirk all tried to warn us about Israel. Do I need to also remind you what happened to them? Hmm! https://open.substack.com/pub/steve2r3wi/p/the-truth-about-ukraine-2fd?r=1ln4a0&utm_medium=ios
And Burisma, and BioNTech, and... the list goes on.
Not until humanity realizes its actual power to put an end to this madness will anything change - a fact that keeps the de facto power establishment of money and military might awake at night.
Couldn't be more timely!!! Engdhal is great! I have read "Manifest Destiny" as well as many of his articles over the years. It is always interesting to me that the right's bete noir, the "Liberal" they love to hate most, George Soros, got his start destabilizing Poland in the 1980's for the CIA during the Reagan/Bush administration. I wonder if they understood his real role in US empire if they would think the same?
What is wrong with this post:
- Both Trump and Madura are ((on it))
- The various “oil wars” of the 21st were not to assert control on oil reserves, but to diminish his distribution, in order to create scarcity, give validation to the neo-Malthusian “peak oil” theory and provoke economic downturn to third parties other that participants in this “theater” (as in the fictional “war in Ukraine”, which is also used to advance the genocidal “green” agenda and perform controlled demolition and dismissal of the “COVID” hoax without accountability)
The only solution is to consider the “events in Venezuela” as a fictional hoax that happens trough the screen, not in the real world (even members of the ousted government claims western media have used AI) and, in any case, we should not absolutely care.
If a politician, journalist or oil speculator says or act in the manner that we should care about this “geopolitical” Kosher theater, give them a slap in the face.
Excellent. I love Mr. Engdahl's work but we all have our blind spots. I'd say both Russia and China are in on it as the center of the empire switches to Eurasia. Russia plays a role in the IMF and other institutions. It's all theater.
It seems that almost everything we have been told or taught is either a complete lie or a partial truth. The longer I live the more I realize that all those in power, regardless the country, are corrupt and evil. I am appalled that there are people that vehemently support one political party or the other, failing to see that's it all kabuki theater. Sadly, all I ever read is problems and never any solutions because I don't think there is a solution; we can only live a honorable life and try to stay below the radar. Thankfully I am old, and probably won't be around when the whole deck of cards comes tumbling town, and the US will look like Venezuela or Ukraine. Any more optimism is just a word I read in a dictionary.
Yes, I am familiar with Mr. Engdahl's work and have read most of his books.
This is all about eliminating a major globalist hangout in the Western hemisphere...I may be wrong, but I think Trump is doing a good thing....his pre COVID speech at Davos ran down his vision for a free world with trade between autonomous nations....his anti-globalist strategy outlined here is a good indication of where he is doing: National Security Strategy 2025:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IQ7giV1MfM
Engdahl omitted a crucial element in his analysis: We are all going to Hell.
Not if we do what Jesus Christ told us to do.
NarrowWayTruth.com
Americans having education, but little breeding..if they even know what that word means.they are the cowboys of yesteryear..havingthe predatory frontiersman energy of taking over other countries..for self gain, unconscious of collateral damage..their annihilation of the indigenous Indian population was of no consequence to them..a third world unevolved nation stuck in a tribal territorialism of them being the biggest and best..& as Shakespeare said..so aptly.. like an actor shouting on the stage.. signifying nothing
.
This reminds me of the book Confessions of an economic hitman.
Indeed.
https://open.substack.com/pub/unbekoming/p/confessions-of-an-economic-hit-man