Oil Matters In Venezuela, But Not For The Reason Democrats Think

Oil isn’t just a commodity anymore. It’s a strategic weapon.

by Larry Behrens, The Federalist

From the moment the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro hit the headlines, out came the recycled slogans that have been gathering dust for more than 20 years: “No Blood for Oil.” Right on cue, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez predictably declared that U.S. policy toward Venezuela was “about oil and regime change.”

It’s a tired worldview recycled by eco-leftists — one where the United States is forever cast as a cartoon villain scheming to seize foreign oil fields. Yes, oil is part of the Venezuela story, but not in the simplistic bumper-sticker way the left keeps chanting.

Today, the United States is the world’s largest energy producer. American oil and gas don’t just power our economy — they stabilize global markets. Meanwhile, China is the world’s largest oil importer. Beijing’s economy survives only because tankers sail halfway around the world to feed its refineries. And one of the places China leans on most heavily is Venezuela. In 2025 alone, Beijing took in 470,000 barrels of oil per day from Maduro; that’s about 4.5 percent of China’s sea imported oil.

That’s the part the protest signs conveniently overlook.