The Trump administration has frozen all Venezuelan government assets in a dramatic escalation of...

[Soph0571]

....tensions with socialist leader Nicolas Maduro, who has stubbornly clung to power in the face of mounting international pressure.

The ban on Americans doing business with Venezuela's government takes effect immediately.

An executive order signed by President Trump justified the move by citing Maduro's continued "usurpation" of power and human rights abuses by groups loyal to him.

[link:https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-news-live-tweets-today-gun-control-mass-shootings-2020-election-a9040826.html|

Interesting move... can't be about the oil, can it?!?!

[procon]

1. What threat does Venezuela pose to the U.S.?

Are they planning a military attack, cyber warfare, terrorists, or is it their relationships with Trump's Russian and Chinese buddies?

If they aren't a threat then what is Trump up to? Maybe this is a cheap diversion by Trump to force Venezuela into a total collapse on behalf of his corporate pals (and GOP mega donars) in Big Oil? It certainly would enable them to recoup their former fossil fuel developments that were nationalised by consecutive Venezuelan governments. In gratitude, of course, any spare profits in the till might find a new home in Trump's pocket.

[DFW]

2. Moves like this are usually for show

In the 1980s, some Swiss guys I know inventoried the gold holdings of the Venezuelan central bank. Included were a million old USA gold coins, shipped down there as oil payments before 1933, when we went off the gold standard. When Chávez looked like his hold on power was shaky, he moved Venezuela's whole gold stash to Cuba for safekeeping. Maduro has been selling groups of the old American gold coins off via a company in Southern California with old Venezuelan connections. Of course, no transactions have been conducted directly between the guys in Orange County and either Venezuela or Cuba. THAT would be illegal. They buy the coins from a bank in Toronto. Where the Canadians got the gold is their business, right? Plus, these coins were made in the United States, so there was no illegal buying of Cuban or Venezuelan products, even indirectly. *wink, wink*

I have an Iranian ex-pat friend in Germany who tells a similar story about Iran. That embargo is also a joke. Through third parties, Iran will do (and does!) business with any country in the world except Israel, and that includes the good old USA.