Secretary of State Marco Rubio has clarified that the United States will not govern Venezuela, aside from maintaining an “oil quarantine” already in place against the nation.
WASHINGTON — Just hours after a bold military maneuver ousted Nicolás Maduro from power and he was removed from Venezuela, President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that the United States would temporarily oversee the country. He indicated plans to utilize its significant oil resources for international sales.
“We’re going to manage the country until we can ensure a safe, proper, and wise transition,” Trump declared during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago. He emphasized that this “highly successful operation” should act as a deterrent to anyone threatening American sovereignty or putting American lives at risk.
This dramatic move culminated a rigorous campaign by the Trump administration to pressure Venezuela and its authoritarian leader, following months of clandestine planning. It marks the most assertive U.S. effort for regime change since the 2003 Iraq invasion.
Trump’s intention to “run” Venezuela has led to concerns among some Democrats and stirred apprehension within his Republican ranks. His “America First” supporters, who generally oppose foreign interventions, along with critics referencing past nation-building in Iraq and Afghanistan, have expressed unease.
Here’s an overview of the U.S. strategy for overseeing Venezuela.
How would the U.S. “run” Venezuela?
Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested Sunday that the United States would not take a day-to-day role in governing Venezuela other than enforcing an existing “oil quarantine” on the country, a turnaround after Trump’s Saturday announcement,
Rubio’s statements on TV talk shows seemed designed to temper concerns about whether the assertive American action to achieve regime change might again produce a prolonged foreign intervention or failed attempt at nation-building. They stood in contrast to Trump’s broad but vague claims that the U.S. would at least temporarily “run” the oil-rich nation, comments that suggested some sort of governing structure under which Caracas would be controlled by Washington.
Venezuela is known to have the world’s largest proven crude oil reserves of approximately 303 billion barrels, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That accounts for roughly 17% of all global oil reserves.
Rubio said the U.S. would continue to enforce an oil quarantine that was already in place on sanctioned tankers before Maduro was removed from power early Saturday and use that leverage as a means to press policy changes in Venezuela.
“And so that’s the sort of control the president is pointing to when he says that,” Rubio said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “We continue with that quarantine, and we expect to see that there will be changes, not just in the way the oil industry is run for the benefit of the people, but also so that they stop the drug trafficking.”
The blockade on sanctioned oil tankers — some of which have been seized by the U.S. — “remains in place, and that’s a tremendous amount of leverage that will continue to be in place until we see changes that not just further the national interest of the United States, which is number one, but also that lead to a better future for the people of Venezuela,” he added.
Rubio also suggested that the U.S. would give Maduro’s subordinates who are now in charge time to govern, saying, “We’re going to judge everything by what they do, and we’re going to see what they do.” And though he did not rule out a U.S. military presence in Venezuela, Rubio said the current U.S. “force posture” was capable of stopping drug boats and sanctioned tankers.
Trump indicated Saturday that Delcy Rodríguez, who is next in the presidential line of succession, had been sworn in already as president of Venezuela, per the transfer of power outlined in the constitution.
But state TV did not broadcast any swearing-in ceremony.
During Rodríguez’s televised speech, a ticker at the bottom of the screen identified her as the vice president. She gave no sign that she would be cooperating with the U.S., and did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“What is being done to Venezuela is an atrocity that violates international law,” she said in her address. “History and justice will make the extremists who promoted this armed aggression pay.”
The Venezuelan constitution also says a new election must be called within a month in the event of the president’s absence. But experts have been debating whether the succession scenario would apply here, given the government’s lack of popular legitimacy and the extraordinary U.S. military intervention.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
