US attack on Venezuela will decide direction of South America’s vast mineral wealth
The Guardian••world
Key Points:
- The recent US attack on Venezuela marks a new phase in its competition with China over South America's vast mineral and energy resources, with implications for global energy transition and military power dynamics.
- Venezuela's massive oil reserves, particularly in the Orinoco Belt, remain a key target despite economic and environmental challenges, while US companies are expanding in neighboring Guyana, signaling broader regional ambitions.
- The US national security strategy focuses on reducing dependence on foreign powers, especially China, by securing critical minerals from South America, where China currently dominates investment and trade in these resources.
- Several South American governments condemn US military and political interventions as destabilizing, while leaders like Colombia’s Gustavo Petro and Brazil’s Lula da Silva resist US pressures amid fears of interference
