are we once again drifting toward a conflict shaped by oil?

Over the past few months, the United States has dramatically expanded its military presence near Venezuela. You may have heard brief mentions on the news—an aircraft carrier strike group, a nuclear-powered submarine, and a new operation called Southern Spear. The Department of Defense says this is a counter-narcotics mission to stop drugs from entering the United States. And while that sounds reasonable, the facts tell a different story.

For years, the DEA and independent experts have been clear: most illegal drugs entering the U.S. come from Mexico and supply chains linked to China—not from Venezuela. Yet since September, the U.S. has carried out more than twenty lethal strikes on boats near Venezuela, killing over 75 people without clear legal authority. Colombia, one of our closest partners in the region, has even stopped sharing intelligence with us in protest. Venezuela has put its military on high alert.

So, if Venezuela is not the principal source of drugs entering our country, why are we committing so much military power to its doorstep? Here’s what you aren’t hearing from officials: Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves in the world—over 300 billion barrels. More oil than Saudi Arabia or Russia. More than anyone. Extracting that oil is expensive and complex, but it remains one of the biggest energy prizes on the planet.

History has shown us patterns we should not ignore. Many Americans remember the Iraq War and what we were told it was about: weapons of mass destruction. But years later, even former Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan stated plainly that the Iraq War was “largely about oil.” And after that war, Western oil companies gained access to massive Iraqi oil fields. Today, powerful oil interests remain among the most influential political donors in Washington. They pay attention when a nation with the world’s biggest oil reserves—like Venezuela—becomes unstable or uncooperative. If the United States is inching toward another foreign conflict, one that could destabilize an entire region, then the American people deserve to know the actual reasons, not just the convenient ones.

Are we truly protecting our communities from drugs, or are we once again drifting toward a conflict shaped by oil, corporate influence, and the priorities of powerful donors?