Foreign Policy as Business Deal
If you're wondering whether the U.S. military operation in Venezuela was about democracy or oil, former diplomat Richard Haass has a pretty clear answer: it's the oil.
In a Sunday interview with Katie Couric, Haass pointed to Trump's Mar-a-Lago press conference following the military action as exhibit A. According to the former envoy, Trump mentioned Venezuela's oil reserves "83 times" during his speech, making it abundantly clear "this was all about the oil and all about access to the oil."
Trump also discussed how American oil companies would pour billions into rebuilding Venezuela's crumbling oil infrastructure, which has deteriorated after years of mismanagement, sanctions, and chronic underinvestment.
Will the White House Take a Cut?
Here's where it gets interesting. While the administration hasn't publicly announced any plans to claim a share of Venezuela's oil profits, Haass thinks it's entirely plausible they would demand exactly that in exchange for military intervention.
"If the administration's past is prologue," Haass said, referencing Nvidia Corp.'s (NVDA) 25% "Dragon Fee" tied to all chip revenue generated from China, "I would think that the Trump White House would take a percentage of it."
That comparison is striking. The idea that the U.S. government might structure foreign policy interventions like equity deals, expecting a return on military investment, represents a fundamentally different approach to international relations.
Haass characterized this as an unprecedented shift: "This is a president who is formulating and carrying out a foreign policy where commercial interests, business interests are paramount. It's unprecedented, but that's what it is."
He also warned that reviving Venezuela's oil production and managing the political fallout from this intervention could prove far messier than the administration is suggesting.
Oil Stocks Jump on Venezuela News
Wall Street certainly seems to believe something lucrative is happening. U.S. oil and gas companies with Venezuela exposure rallied hard in overnight trading Sunday.
Chevron Corp. (CVX), the only major American producer still operating in Venezuela under a special Treasury license, surged 10.36%. That makes sense given Chevron's existing operations and relationships in the country.
Halliburton Co. (HAL), an oilfield services company that has historically maintained equipment in Venezuela, jumped even higher at 14.19% overnight. If there's going to be a massive infrastructure rebuild, Halliburton is positioned to benefit.
Venezuelan crude is some of the heaviest in the world, which requires specialized refining capabilities. Valero Energy Corp. (VLO), whose sophisticated refineries are perfectly suited to process this type of crude, rallied 9.19%.
The broader SPDR Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (XOP) was up 2.14% on Friday and added another 1.66% overnight.
Whether the White House actually demands a formal cut of Venezuela's oil revenue remains to be seen. But between Trump's oil-focused rhetoric and the aggressive market response from energy stocks, investors are clearly betting this intervention has a commercial dimension that goes well beyond traditional foreign policy objectives.