But this big Venezuelan mess didn't pop up overnight. It knocked out President Hugo Chávez for a couple days before it fell apart. Before he grabbed the wheel, Venezuela was maintaining thin line of balance with the US American oil outfits like ExxonMobil and Chevron who were drilling and shipping out crude without much hassle. Caracas even backed US efforts to squash leftist groups in spots like Nicaragua and El Salvador during the Cold War era. He is a known defence strategist with keen interests in international affairs, maritime security, terrorism and internal security.

Source: dna January 07, 2026 10:35 UTC