Candid Talk Within the Oil Industry on Venezuela and Iran, and the Potential Geopolitics of a Larger Regional War

https://thegrayzone.substack.com/p/iran-war-described-as-biggest-opportunity

This article is based on a January 2026 summit held in Washington DC - just weeks after Maduro's kidnapping and before the latest Iran War.

Trump, the Fall of Maduro, and the American Church

The powers that be are ordained by God and clearly in God's Providence, it was time for Maduro of Venezuela to go. That said, the Old Testament clearly demonstrates that the nation that removed him can be (on another level) outside of God's will and motivated by its own wicked desires. One thinks of Assyria and Babylon - God's servants in the punishing of Israel and Judah. They were agents of Providence but wicked in their motivation. This paradox is also seen in the commentary offered in Matthew 26.24 by Christ concerning Judas Iscariot. What is written must be fulfilled but woe to that man who actually conducts the betrayal.

So it is with Trump and the American Empire.

The Nigeria Controversy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I734EZXvHqM

https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2025/10/2/no-bill-maher-there-is-no-christian-genocide-in-nigeria

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/11/1/trump-threatens-to-launch-attacks-in-nigeria-over-killing-of-christians

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoywuyiRY_w

https://africa.thegospelcoalition.org/article/is-there-a-christian-genocide-happening-in-nigeria/

https://www.africanews.com/2025/10/17/nigeria-denies-ted-cruzs-christian-genocide-claims//

The first link is to a recent episode of Al Jazeera's Inside Story. One of the panelists is from the Right-wing Hudson Institute. Despite the fact these panelists argue that to simply call what is going on in Nigeria 'a Christian genocide' is misleading and an oversimplification, there are those who will continue to insist this is what is taking place. There are even Christian leaders in Nigeria protesting this representation by the American Right.

Washington is Trying to Start a War with Venezuela

https://trt.global/world/article/f3ee26bac380

The United States has been trying to overthrow the government of Venezuela for over twenty years. Washington detested Hugo Chavez and his campaign to destroy the Empire's domination of Latin America. The US attempted to oust him in 2002 but failed. Chavez remained popular until his death in 2013.

The Grand Chessboard 2.0? - Central Asia, Iran, Israel, and the Shah

There's so much that could be said right now about events in the Middle East and the conflict between Israel and Iran and the potential for a wider war including the United States and others.

For my part I think about scenarios in which the war could go sideways or the aftermath of a regime collapse.

China, the Monroe Doctrine, and the American Empire: A Proxy Struggle in Ecuador

 https://thegrayzone.com/2024/08/29/secret-chats-decade-us-meddling-ecuador/

There's evidence of US meddling in the politics of Ecuador. Personally I did not find any of these revelations to be shocking. While the explicit evidence wasn't always there, these types of machinations are well known to those who have been paying attention. Wikileaks also played a role in bringing some of these things to light and by some reckonings, they're not all scandalous but are simply descriptive of how governments work with and relate to one another. It's often something other than what people think.

Israel, Iran, and the Turks

https://eurasianet.org/israel-emerging-as-source-of-tension-in-azerbaijans-special-relationship-with-turkey

This was inevitable and I was pleased to note that others are noticing it as well. Baku has been effectively wed to Ankara since the break-up of the Soviet Union in the 1990's. Their cultural ties are pervasive and there are significant numbers of Azeris in Türkiye proper, and they also share a common enemy in the Armenians.

Imperial Power and Central Asian Infrastructure

https://eurasianet.org/china-kyrgyzstan-uzbekistan-railway-project-gets-off-the-ground

The key statement this article is the reference to the Trans-Afghan corridor. This railroad and its relationship to the larger question of Central Asian infrastructure represents a strategic defeat for the US Empire.

Boeing and its Place in the US Empire

https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2024/5/2/whistleblower-joshua-dean-ex-worker-at-boeing-supplier-dies

Boeing is too big to fail. As a member of the S&P100, the company constitutes a large and essential component within the stock market as well as the US security apparatus. Boeing builds commercial jets and does billions of dollars in military contracts. In fact it's the second biggest military contractor in the United States (and third in the world).

Chevron, Wall Street, and Venezuela Sanctions

https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Chevron-Getting-Ready-For-New-Oil-Drilling-In-Venezuela.html

https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-11-23/us-offers-life-support-to-venezuelas-economy.html

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/chevron-shipping-fuels-venezuelas-pdvsa-expansion-oil-swap-2023-11-16/

One is left wondering if the decision by the White House to slack up a little on Venezuela sanctions is about foreign policy strategy or simply to help out Chevron – and thus the markets. It's probably a bit of both.

Bulgaria's New Cyber-Hub

https://www.thedefensepost.com/2023/09/22/bulgaria-us-funded-cyber-hub/

https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/russian-oil-imports-to-eu-via-bulgaria-surge/

America maneuvers and manipulates the politics in other countries and then if need be it will even finance the build-up of their militaries. The US has many tools in its banking toolbox and a lot of them flow through the State Department and Pentagon. 

BP and Right-wing Paramilitaries in Colombia

https://declassifieduk.org/bps-financing-of-colombias-murderous-military/

The documents referenced here merely confirm what was already known – both governments and corporations were involved in the financing and arming of Right-wing paramilitary groups in Colombia.

A Harbinger of US Decline

https://consortiumnews.com/2023/04/11/saudis-arent-afraid-of-us-anymore/

These are noteworthy developments to say the least. Riyadh still maintains close ties with Washington and yet it's clear as the linked author indicates – the Saudis are no longer afraid of America or of earning its displeasure.

When Criminal Trespass is Legal

https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/greenpeace-protesters-cleared-of-charges-for-blockading-russian-ship

This story from back in January never gained any traction. It was but one of many of a similar type that seems omnipresent within the news but never subject to analysis or question.

The Ethics of Cobalt

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2023/02/01/1152893248/red-cobalt-congo-drc-mining-siddharth-kara

Listening to this sad and disturbing but already well documented story of Cobalt mining in the Congo, I found myself frustrated on multiple levels.

Lukoil and Italy

https://www.euractiv.com/section/global-europe/news/russias-lukoil-reaches-deal-to-sell-italian-refinery/

It's surprising to me that this transaction wouldn't be considered in violation of sanctions as it is effectively a business transaction with a Russian company. Lukoil may not be directly targeted but the spectrum of sanctions is sweeping enough that I'm sure regulatory officials and prosecutors could make a case to block this sale if they wanted to.

Sri Lanka and Russian Oil

https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/sri-lanka-is-open-buying-russian-oil-pm-tells-ap-2022-06-12/

As a country in a state of turmoil and caught between political and financial forces based both in China and the West, Colombo is looking for other options. And for obvious reasons Moscow is also looking for new markets. While the Russian oil industry has jumped through numerous hoops and played games with pricing to keep their markets open, the possibility of new markets must be appealing for those in Russia.

The Myth of Energy Independence and the Agents of Mammon

Energy Independence. The words are inescapable if you turn the news on. It has become a battle-cry for the Right in 2022. Representing the interests of the petroleum industry they have used the present crisis as a means to bolster the interests of that economic sector and yet at a most basic level it's misleading.

A Ukraine Miscellany (IV): GOP Traps, MiG's, and Russian Oil

Putin fell for a geopolitical trap in the invasion of Ukraine, and US president Joe Biden has fallen for a series of traps set by his domestic political opposition. 

Erdogan, Central Asia, and The Great Game in 2021

https://journal-neo.org/2021/10/14/erdogan-rushes-to-form-a-broad-coalition-of-pro-turkish-forces/

Turkey is still attempting to put its stamp on Central Asia. As expected with Erdogan, his programme is focused on Pan-Turkism with a veneer of Islam.