If the United States never leaves Venezuela, seizing control of its government and vast energy wealth could rewrite the global oil map and tilt economic power toward American interests. After the dramatic US military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and placed him in US custody, Washington made clear it would run the country until a new leadership structure is put in place, potentially maintaining direct influence over Venezuela for years.
This unprecedented intervention thrust the nation's massive oil reserves—the largest proven in the world—into the heart of discussions on energy strategy, geopolitical leverage and economic consequences. For the United States, continued governance or influence over Venezuelan resources could mean broad leverage over global oil supply and prices, but experts caution that realising such benefits would be neither immediate nor straightforward.
