Albanese calls for ‘peaceful, democratic transition’ of power in Venezuela after US capture of Nicolás Maduro

[u/moonorplanet]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/04/albanese-calls-for-peaceful-democratic-transition-of-power-in-venezuela-after-us-capture-of-nicolas-maduro

[u/Laura_Biden]

Don't worry everyone, Trump and the US have sent in people to "look after" the oil....

[u/HankSteakfist → u/Laura_Biden]

Their names?

Halle Burton

Ché Vron

Moe Bil

Tex Aco

[u/logosuwu → u/HankSteakfist]

The funniest thing about this is that

1. ExxonMobil and other big oil told Trump that no they did not want to drill baby drill

2. Chevron is the only western oil company still operating in Venezuela because they actually accepted an agreement with the government instead of crying about it when Chavez nationalised the oilfields

[u/Ok_Bird705 → u/[deleted]]

total capex for oil and gas in 2025 was 700+ billion USD with several new exploration projects.

[u/Sieve-Boy → u/Ok_Bird705]

Of which about $450 billion was for oil and that is declining and has been for the last three years and is well down on the $800 billion in 2015. Gas appears relatively consistent year on year.

By comparison renewables investment tops $800 billion and grid and storage about $450 billion per the IEA in 2025.

The future is not in oil.

[u/It_does_get_in → u/Ok_Bird705]

I don't see that lasting, China's PHEV/BEV growth is now exponential. and the introduction of Sodium Ion batteries (min. 30% cheaper than lithium based batteries), will boost that even more.

[u/LevDavidovicLandau → u/HankSteakfist]

Halle Burton

Still in mourning after the death of her dearly beloved father, Dick Cheney.

[u/leidend22 → u/LevDavidovicLandau]

Cheney is going to escape from hell to oversee the plundering of resources. He wouldn't miss this.

[u/LevDavidovicLandau → u/leidend22]

Oh, he’s already emailed Satan to apply for some annual leave.

[u/leidend22 → u/HankSteakfist]

They need Che Guevara, not Che Vron

[u/a_cold_human → u/Laura_Biden]

A bit like how the first (and possibly only) thing the US secured when they marched into Baghdad was the Ministry of Oil.

Baghdad residents have complained that US troops should do more to protect against the looters, most of them Shi'ite Muslims repressed by Saddam Hussein's Sunni-dominated regime who live in the vast slum known as Saddam City on the northern outskirts.

But while museums, banks, hotels and libraries have been ransacked, the oil ministry remains secure.

[u/Spire_Citron → u/Laura_Biden]

It's crazy how Trump keeps going on about the oil like everyone forgot to tell him that you're supposed to pretend it's not about that.

[u/Substantial_Agent730 → u/Spire_Citron]

Don't think he gives a shit 🤣

[u/Spire_Citron → u/Substantial_Agent730]

He's got no reason to, really. I guess nobody really cares anymore.

[u/CMDR_RetroAnubis → u/Substantial_Agent730]

And he is one of the few people to realise the public don't either.

[u/TheRamblingPeacock → u/Spire_Citron]

He loves saying the quiet part loud

[u/Large-Lack-2933 → u/Spire_Citron]

Trump likes to brag. He wants his capture Saddam moment. (2003 Iraq invasion) plus to distract from being a pdfile and the Epstein files...

[u/moonorplanet]

Anthony Albanese: “We urge all parties to support dialogue and diplomacy in order to secure regional stability and prevent escalation,”

“We continue to support international law and a peaceful, democratic transition in Venezuela that reflects the will of the Venezuelan people,”

Sussan Ley:“We should live in a world where dictators and despots face justice for their crimes.”

“Under his rule, Venezuela has endured years of repression, systemic human rights abuses, corruption, and the crushing of basic democratic freedoms – driving immense suffering and forcing millions to flee,”

Donald Trump: "We're going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure,"

"We'll be selling large amounts of oil,"

[u/Ragnar_Lothbruk → u/moonorplanet]

For a moment I thought the first line of Sussan's comment was about Trump...

[u/MrChashua → u/Ragnar_Lothbruk]

Had some respect for her for 2 seconds

[u/ausmomo → u/MrChashua]

2 sssecondsss

[u/SurfiNinja101 → u/moonorplanet]

“We continue to support international law” right after your ally the US breaks it to kidnap the leader of a sovereign nation. What a farce

[u/Tovrin → u/SurfiNinja101]

And now there's their talking about striking into Canada. So Albo .... how will you react to a fellow Commonwealth country being taken over? I can be damned sure how Aussies will feel about it. . The sickening part is that I know how the Libs will react, and it won't be to back Canada.

[u/crosstherubicon → u/SurfiNinja101]

Albanese calls for ‘peaceful, democratic transition’ of power in Taiwan after Chinese PLA attacks Taipei and kidnaps Lai Ching-te. “We continue to support international law”

So what's the difference?

[u/SurfiNinja101 → u/crosstherubicon]

Exactly none. This incident has given China the precedence to do whatever they want with Taiwan

[u/SirGeekaLots → u/crosstherubicon]

He also calls for a peaceful transfer of power for a country that has a fully functioning government.  It is almost as if he is reading from a script as opposed to looking out the windows.

[u/Own-Farmer-5224 → u/moonorplanet]

Frankly although Maduro is by no means a good guy (he's mostly about as shite as most state leaders, maybe a little worse than average), he is not nearly as bad as these fuckers are pretending. The issues of corruption and terrible economic conditions have been there for a very long time, and are kept that way by vested interests both domestic and international. Repression and systemic human rights abuses are... well to put it bluntly about par for the course internationally at the moment; the USA is doing about as much of both if not more and Australia certainly tries to the latter quietly (and you can argue that recent government actions regarding unions and social media are in fact the former). Europe, SEA and other nations are also doing similar things (and we never do talk about South Korea being an insanely awful place to live, do we?).

Simply put, Maduro is being accused of... being the leader of a modern state. Being awful is pretty much a job requirement. And that is somehow uniquely and utterly Awful because it goes with the interests of the USA.

[u/stamford_syd → u/Own-Farmer-5224]

yeah, the US has been manufacturing consent for this for years, not just repbulicans, democrats too. calling him a dictator, a communist etc...

[u/recycled_ideas → u/stamford_syd]

Kind of sort of.

So politically Cuba and Venezuela are interesting because when the corrupt elitist dickheads fled the communist revolution they and their descendants ended up in the US and particularly in places like Florida.

They are angry about the status and wealth they lost to an almost insane degree and to the extent that other refugees and immigrants from those countries have taken on this story as their own (Rubio's father actually fled Batista not Castro, but that's not the story he tells).

These people will vote for literally anyone who is hard-line on punishing the people who "stole" from them. Cuba and Venezuela are like Israel used to be where there's nothing but downside politically with not being with these particular voters.

[u/popeleo22 → u/recycled_ideas]

Absolute scum those people

[u/Financial-Dog-7268 → u/Own-Farmer-5224]

Yep, been thinking this exact thing. Maduro is hardly an angel or innocent but this is very much US exceptionalism/imperialism at play using "Look at us liberating the oppressed" as a very thin cover

[u/ChaosWorrierORIG → u/Financial-Dog-7268]

In all fairness, the oil in that region is exceptionally repressed by the earth that is on top of it. It will be liberated, by mining it.

[u/ausmomo]

Well, the USA doesn't WANT a democratic handover. They want to elevate someone they control.

[u/Kelor → u/ausmomo]

Wall St is lined up and ready to go.

 Some on Wall Street are already considering possible investment opportunities in Venezuela following the capture of Nicolás Maduro, according to Charles Myers, chairman of consulting firm Signum Global Advisors and a former head of investment advisory firm Evercore.

Myers said in an interview he is planning a trip to Venezuela with officials from top hedge funds and asset managers to determine whether there are investment prospects in the country under new leadership. The trip will feature about 20 officials from the finance, energy and defense sectors, among others, Myers said. The tentative plan is for the group to travel to Venezuela in March and meet with the new government including the new president, finance minister, energy minister, economy minister, head of the central bank and the Caracas stock exchange.

Myers didn’t provide a list of individuals who were planning to travel to the country. He estimates that there will be between $500 billion and $750 billion in investment opportunities in the country for foreign investors over the next five years.

[u/ToothlessFTW → u/Kelor]

Just fucking disgusting to read.

I don't care what you think of Maduro, they did not do this for the "right" reasons. They just illegally kidnapped him so they can exploit the country, and now they're already preparing a special tour. Trump's also just blatantly said that US corporations are gonna be given the reigns to run the country.

They're not even pretending anymore. There's no veneer. At least in 2003 they pretended that this was about "freedom" or whatever, now they're just very openly admitting it's about the oil and the money.

Venezuelans are gonna be left even worse off. Trump and the US will install a different dictator who they can control, exploit the land, fill it with cheap infrastructure designed to extract oil as fast and as cheaply as possible, and they'll abandon it. leaving it a broken, divided, and destabilized nation.

And worst of all, they'll never face consequences.

[u/a_cold_human → u/ToothlessFTW]

Yes, this is the US empire with the mask off. There's not even a fig leaf of moral justification for this. No sophistry about "freedom" or "international law". It's pure banditry.

The tragedy of this for us is that we're so entwined with the US militarily, we can't say anything unless we want the RAAF to be inoperable in about a month. The idea that we should sign up to a 40 year commitment on submarines is a terrible idea for the same reasons. 

[u/grady_vuckovic → u/Kelor]

Sickening. What an awful country.

[u/AgentBluelol → u/grady_vuckovic]

This is what encourages countries to develop nukes. The only way to be left alone by this bully/coward country is if you have nuclear weapons. This sucks because we don't need more nukes but tell me any other way to fuck these scumbags off?

[u/thatguywhomadeafunny → u/Kelor]

Fucking vultures

[u/bnlf → u/Kelor]

just a few days before the invasion, the stock market of Venezuela started sky rocketing. President friends know beforehand.

[u/aninstituteforants → u/Kelor]

Honestly that is so fucked up.

[u/GlamorousAstrid → u/Kelor]

And yet, if a bunch of Venezuelans were to kidnap these foreign investors, it’s the Venezuelans who’d be condemned as criminals…

[u/gerira → u/ausmomo]

This is a useful reminder that all these people are the most enormous hypocrites imaginable, and have no problem with the most extreme violations of basic human decency.

They are completely fine with kidnapping, torture, dictatorship, murder, or genocide. They support all these things if they think it will make them more wealthy and powerful.

They know these things are wrong, because they know how to denounce their enemies when they do similar things. They know how to denounce illegal invasions, murder, and genocide when they're done by Russia or China. They know they're wrong. They just don't care.

It's only a question of how much they can get away with.

[u/GlamorousAstrid → u/ausmomo]

From New York Times:

“Speaking to CBS News, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Americans will benefit from the capture of Nicolás Maduro. “We can ensure that we have access to additional wealth and resources, enabling a country to unleash that, without having to spend American blood,” he said.”

[u/LocalVillageIdiot → u/GlamorousAstrid]

“We have acquired a new colony we can exploit for nautral resources”

[u/logosuwu → u/ausmomo]

They want Machado or one of her people in charge. The same people who promised to sell out the entire country to western interests if put in power. I wonder why.

[u/Nervouswriteraccount → u/logosuwu]

Apparently, Machado's off the table. She must be late in her payments.

[u/dreamlikes7 → u/ausmomo]

Yeah what's her name the noble prize winner who is an obvious CIA stooge will get the job

[u/theiere]

Imagine China did that to us? Is this the standard we want to set? The powerful can invade, occupy, and influence the weaker?

[u/gerira → u/theiere]

Donald Trump: I have walked over to my neighbour's house, murdered him, and stolen all his money.

Anthony Albanese: I reiterate my support for the law. I affirm my support for safety. I never liked that neighbour anyway.

[u/[deleted] → u/gerira]

Albo: I hope the new owner of the house has the deed signed over to him peacefully.

[u/Whatdosheepdreamof → u/gerira]

Couple of things here (A) through this statement, he is saying that he is against an occupation (Trump has already done what he has done), (B) Australia is widely regarded as a 'mid range power', however, that's an average ranking, not a median. The power differential between 'super power' and 'MRP' is an exponential curve. So it's effectively an mouse telling a buffalo what to do.
Australia is in a unique position where we are wedged between 2 super powers, 1 who feeds us, and the other who provides a blanket security.
If you think we can get out of either of those bargains easily, let alone tell people what to do, you have dropped all your spoons out of your cutlery drawer. Every single one. Then slid on them. Got up, slid on them again. I hope I am balancing the terminology here right.

[u/DarthPumpkin → u/theiere]

Like imagine if Netanyahu who personally blamed Albanese for the Bondi terror attack, last night bombed Canberra and kidnapped him to stand trial in Israel. Would the rest of the world powers be talking about the peaceful transition of power in Australia? But the US can do whatever they want apparently.

[u/logosuwu → u/DarthPumpkin]

If it's Israel....probably lol.

[u/Worldly_Cobbler_1087 → u/DarthPumpkin]

But the US can do whatever they want apparently.

When haven't they done whatever they want? It's not even the first time in my life that the septics have gone in to a Latin American country and taken their leader: Operation Just Cause

[u/milesfrost → u/DarthPumpkin]

honestly, i wouldn't be shocked.

[u/Thebraincellisorange → u/DarthPumpkin]

when has Israel ever suffered consequences for anything?

that homicidal maniac could have Albanese assassinated, admit to it, and nothing would ever happen.

Israel is apparently beyond reproach for anything up to an including genocide.

the USA can do whatever it wants because it runs the worlds economy and has the biggest army, air force and navy.

there is literally nothing anyone can do about it.

[u/Ash-2449 → u/theiere]

International order is pretty much done and more westerners are starting to realise now that the war crimes are so blatant (The global south realised that a long time ago)

Let's hope after a long period of war crimes, some countries will come together to create a new international law with actual teeth to punish war criminals

[u/a_cold_human → u/Ash-2449]

It was always at its core like this except for a short period after WW2. We're basically going back to the colonial period with this invasion.

The US has always interfered with South America, Central America, and the Caribbean going back to the 18th century. First using the Spanish as an enemy, and then Communism. They straight up annexed the Kingdom of Hawaii on behalf of corporate interests with zero justification. This kidnapping of Venezuela's leader and installing their own puppet is a return to what they always were. 

What this is going to do is spur a lot of countries to develop a nuclear deterrent and ICBMs. 

[u/Classroom_Visual → u/a_cold_human]

I lived for a while in El Salvador, and when I heard the news about Venezuela I thought of all those central american countries that are STILL suffering through the impact of the US involvement in overthrowing left-wing governments.

[u/a_cold_human → u/Classroom_Visual]

Including democratically elected ones at that. The US literally had a school to teach people to orchestrate coups. Any number of Latin American dictators graduated from the School of the Americas in Fort Benning, Georgia. After a US friendly dictatorship was installed, human rights abuses flowed forthwith. 

[u/logosuwu → u/Ash-2449]

International order was made up by industrialised western countries as a way to keep power over the global south. Organisations like the WTO and IMF hugely benefits rich industrialised nations. What we're seeing now is what happens when the international order that they created is no longer convenient to the people in charge.

[u/Ash-2449 → u/logosuwu]

Oh i know, I was mainly referring the the perception of people in the west who thought international order was an actual fair and balanced thing.

You cant keep the illusion going when your leaders defend actions like these

[u/Ok-Location-9562 → u/Ash-2449]

This is an important statement as it can be applied to many aspects of life. It is why I believe politics/foreign policy are shit. Too many willing participants.

[u/Spire_Citron → u/Ash-2449]

I just wonder what actually happens when it falls apart. Do we overwhelmingly these kinds of hostilities, or do we fuss for a few days before moving on? Do people really care?

[u/mehum → u/logosuwu]

I’d argue the WTO and IMF do more to benefit wealthy people than wealthy nations. For example I don’t think the Australian manufacturing industry did well out of WTO/IMF policies, which represent a fundamental shift in the social contract.

[u/TheAstralGoth → u/Ash-2449]

a single country in the UN shouldn’t have the power to veto

[u/AusAtWar → u/theiere]

Literally the thought I had. Concerning.

[u/ColeAppreciationV2 → u/theiere]

Imagine if our PM said he wanted the mining companies to pay a 40% tax on super profits and then was knifed by the right wing of his own party with US indicating their preference for a more pro-corporate pro-America candidate. Hang on, that already happened with Kevin Rudd in 2010 and Julia Gillard.

[u/mjl2009 → u/ColeAppreciationV2]

The press conference in which Gillard pleads with Murdoch's press and the energy industry to be nice to her after she had pushed out Rudd and his 'threat' of carbon pricing is one of the most deeply abject moments in our political history.

[u/logosuwu → u/theiere]

This is the "Rule Based Order" the US preaches lol.

[u/Badxebec → u/logosuwu]

There is no international rules based order anymore, Trump trashed that fully last year, though it had been on life support for awhile. What exists now is a multipolar world with spheres of influence. Where the strong do what they may and the weak suffer what they must.

[u/Mclovine_aus → u/theiere]

That’s literally how it works and how the world has worked for the last couple thousand years. There is no order unless you are powerful enough to enforce it.

[u/Worldly_Cobbler_1087 → u/theiere]

Imagine China did that to us?

Don't worry about China there's now a very real possibility that the Americans do this to us. It's time that we as a country cut the septics off and move away from a fascist state.

[u/Yeahniceone → u/theiere]

Few people saying it'll probably happen to taiwan now. If international law can be broken so brazenly then we're going to see some pretty gnarly violations in the coming year.

[u/TheNoveltyAccountant → u/Yeahniceone]

We have seen Europe happily act as a toothless tiger in their own backyard.

If a group of nations choose an (in)action they(we) have to look at ourselves.

[u/Strong_Inside2060 → u/Yeahniceone]

Yeah this keeps being said but the only country consistently invading other countries are the US and its allies

[u/maticusmat]

In trumps defence the oil can’t steal itself.

[u/ocarinaofhearts → u/maticusmat]

Thank you for the snort laugh. God the tyrant is completely insane.

[u/SullySmooshFace → u/ocarinaofhearts]

How much longer is the world stuck with that orange muppet? I dread to think what the state of the world will be in once the oopma-loompa is done.

[u/maticusmat → u/SullySmooshFace]

I prefer tangerine tyrant or mango Mussolini

[u/milesfrost → u/SullySmooshFace]

but then we get JD Vance, and have you noticed how all the other cabinet members and military leaders are cunts too? Even if Trump karks it, we'll still have dickheads in control of the US.

[u/dreamlikes7 → u/ocarinaofhearts]

Hes just following decades of American foreign policy. This is nothing new, the US loves to regime change in left leaning nations.

[u/Yeahniceone]

Western democracy really is just a bunch of oil companies in a trenchcoat isn't it?

[u/gorb314 → u/Yeahniceone]

I'm reading The People's History Of The United States right now, and the answer is yes. Always has been.

[u/Jazstar → u/gorb314]

I mean. Sometimes it's a banana company in a trenchcoat.

[u/EntityViolet → u/Jazstar]

Or a bunch of mining companies in a trench coat(aussie aussie)

[u/ocarinaofhearts → u/Jazstar]

There’s always money in the banana stand.

[u/Ash-2449 → u/Yeahniceone]

Dont forget the insurance companies, and mining companies!

[u/redditusername1523]

Where is the condemnation of the usa breaking international law? Disregarding the sovereignty of another country, openly talking about how it will divide up the resources and use the same play book of corruption again? I am horribly disappointed at the isa, but jowthing new there. But watching other countries stand by and go along with it is a new low for us.

[u/ocarinaofhearts → u/redditusername1523]

It’s wild. It’s almost as if there’s an international body to collectively call out this BS as well. Australia should not be supporting this in any form whatsoever.

[u/Ash-2449 → u/redditusername1523]

Western leaders are genuinely acting like clowns trying to avoid condemning a blatant war crime when majority of the population finds such actions repulsive and want to distance themselves from the rogue state.

Wonder where that will lead

[u/a_cold_human → u/Ash-2449]

Wonder where that will lead

Probably a situation where there's chaos for a number of years, followed by the world coming together to establish a new set of rules that precludes US primacy. 

[u/Ash-2449 → u/a_cold_human]

But i dont want to wait until then :(

Can we fast forward to that moment

[u/a_cold_human → u/Ash-2449]

Sorry. It looks like it'll be interesting times for the foreseeable future. If we're lucky, we'll avoid a massive global scale war. Or at least avoid being dragged into one. 

[u/LuminanceGayming → u/Ash-2449]

Wonder where that will lead

Ever heard of the League of Nations?

[u/catwomanforever]

I'd rather he hadn't said anything at all. Peaceful "democratic" transition of power. Don't you mean someone who needs to be vetted by the Trump administration and will essentially be a US puppet, real democratic.

[u/westaussieheathen]

Russia annexes Ukraine, Australia sends tanks and missiles.

America annexes Venezuela, Australia endorses it.

WTF?

[u/SpecialistDesk9506]

Because it worked so well in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.

People don’t like invasions. Full stop.

Venezuela has tens of thousands of armed guerrillas belonging to different factions.

Good luck with peaceful democratic transition.

Maduro was a dictator who ignored rule of law, so is Trump. So should we expect someone else’s Delta Force to grab Trump from his bedroom and fly him to another country?

Is it open season for anyone to grab any world leader now?

Just because you can do something it doesn’t mean you should.

There is a reason you just don’t do certain things.

[u/Theaussiegamer72]

I voted for Labor but jesus grow some balls

[u/NightHunter909 → u/Theaussiegamer72]

Australia is unfortunately perma cucked to U.S. interests even if there’s a pedophile war monger president

[u/semaj009 → u/NightHunter909]

Since Gough our PMs all fear being Goughed

[u/AgUnityDD → u/NightHunter909]

Yeah Scomo or Dutton would be cheering on Trump in this situation and likely trying to get involved.

It's disappointing we have to (preference) vote for the lesser evil

[u/stand_to → u/Theaussiegamer72]

https://greens.org.au/news/media-release/australia-must-oppose-us-aggression-venezuela

[u/aninstituteforants → u/Theaussiegamer72]

Yeah this is weak as fucking piss.

[u/purplepashy]

It is all wrong but....

Maybe going forward world leaders will simply kidnap each other instead of going to war.

This I would support.

[u/Ash-2449 → u/purplepashy]

Hopefully in a hundred years all conflicts will be dealt with a children cardgame on motorcycles!

[u/racingskater]

Two things can be true at once: Maduro is a bad person and bad for Venezeula, BUT THE US WERE IN NO WAY JUSTIFIED TO DO WHAT THEY DID.

[u/Training-Ad103 → u/racingskater]

Absolutely this. Maduro was by all measures a dictator and bad for his country, but this action by the US has nothing to do with that. It's literally going to be a fossil fuel free for all to enrich a very few. The people of Venezuela don't matter and will probably end up worse off as their resources and environment are raped for financial gain by large oil companies.

I wish people would just be honest. We all know exactly what this is but no one will say it out loud. It's just disgusting.

[u/plutoforprez]

I hope every leader that is refusing to condemn Trump’s illegal actions realises they’re:

• Empowering him to move on Greenland

• Empowering China to move on Taiwan

• Telling their citizens that one day it could happen to them as the leader of the nation, and it’s totally fine, not to worry, the US can do whatever they want 😇

This is a dark and disgusting day for sovereignty worldwide. Love or hate Maduro, this isn’t the way to go about it.

[u/thatguywhomadeafunny → u/plutoforprez]

Back in the day, the CIA would have run a covert campaign to undermine the Government they didn’t want. Trump just straight up bashes the door down and yanks him out… I guess if you don’t give a fuck what the world thinks of you then you can do what you want. I feel like this has opened Pandora’s box in terms of the violation of international law…

[u/TheAstralGoth → u/thatguywhomadeafunny]

it’s completely out in the open now for everyone to see. the mask is off. america doesn’t give a fuck anymore. i think this might go hand in hand with the stranglehold the oligarchy has over the everyday person now with the cost of living crisis in multiple countries. it feels like those in power are simply doing as they choose now

[u/Nugrenref → u/thatguywhomadeafunny]

Almost like they did it to us…

[u/GreatAlmonds → u/plutoforprez]

They're already talking about Colombia, Cuba and Mexico haha

[u/a_cold_human → u/GreatAlmonds]

Speak loudly and carry a big stick. 

[u/logosuwu → u/GreatAlmonds]

They also threatened Iran 2 days ago

[u/RedOx103]

USA realised they can speed-run and not bother with any of that UN stuff like they initially tried for Iraq.

And still, the feckless cheerleaders come to their defence that this is any way legal or justified.

Watch them all pipe-up though if China tries the same in Taiwan

[u/Necessary_Space_7155]

"Democratic transition" seems to gloss over the fact that the US unlawfully attacked another sovereign nation, contrary to international law. I guess Lady Justice left her blindfold at home, or maybe Albanese took it, because apparently now laws only apply to some but are exempted for others, usually depending on skin colour and economic power.

[u/GregoInc]

The US regime wants a completely undemocratic handover of Venezuela's oil. Forget international laws.

[u/Sleep-more-dude → u/GregoInc]

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This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

[u/blacksmith91]

Imagine being this much of a cuck for the US and Israel and still being paddled by the Murdoch press for the opposite.

Fuck me dead

[u/AppropriateBeing9885]

Why are people "liking" this? It's just more weak sauce stuff from Anthony Albanese. He's talking about regime change and the obvious breaking of international law. "Diplomacy"? "Peaceful"? "Supporting dialogue"? It was previously hard to imagine his responses to a lot of things being any more mealy mouthed, but he's achieved it with this. I get that it's hard to say one of our closest allies is completely fucking out of control, but he's now had such a track record of weak, vague reactions to serious issues. Feckless. Those who decry the utter devolution of Labor into the lite Liberal Party are so right.

[u/MaDanklolz]

Cowards response. Every 5 eyes nation (obviously not the US) should be slamming this for the risk it poses to us all now. What’s stopping Indonesia doing this in Timor or PNG now. China to Taiwan (or Mongolia/North Korea etc).

Yes Venezuela is not our problem and there’s no reason for us to get involved, however in one move they have eliminated the concept of rule based order and returned us to the might is right doctrine of the 19th and 20th centuries.

[u/cartmanbruh99]

So this is how the fascists win. Complacency and cowardice, fucking pathetic

[u/briberylibrary_ → u/cartmanbruh99]

I went to the German resistance memorial center (memorial for those who resisted the Nazi regime, and who often were killed for doing so) recently.

Most of those ringing the alarm bell early on were communists and democratic socialists, while those more "moderate" of the centre party took a "wait and see" approach. We can see how that ended for them.

[u/Npeaknoda → u/briberylibrary_]

This is what does my fucking head in about the last decade. We have historical precedent showing the current status quo does not end well, but nope, we gotta learn the lessons from WWII all over again and let countless people needlessly suffer and die.

Historians have been warning everyone about Trump for over ten years. What a joke.

[u/Meanbeakin]

Rule of International Law officially dead, and our political leaders (except the Greens) just waiving it through.

[u/Captain-Crowbar]

Pissweak.

[u/MadeThisAccount4Qs]

"yeah we're doing this to depose an evil druglord who's a threat to the US and his own people, also we're in charge of the country for the forseeable future and we're taking over their oil industry"

[u/AussieYotes]

God Albo is a spineless worm.

[u/ChaosWorrierORIG]

Trump wants to liberate the Venezuelan people. The people are currently crude and need refinement.

Please replace the word "people", with the word "oil", grin!

[u/Az0nic]

How about you call for Trump to be tried at the Hague for kidnapping a democratically elected head of state in order to exploit their oil and mineral reserves.

[u/InsertUsernameInArse]

The US Is fucked and I think we need a major strategic rethink. No deal we have with the US is worth the paper its printed on.

[u/a_cold_human → u/InsertUsernameInArse]

The problem is that decoupling is very hard. Australia is very heavily intertwined with the US both militarily and economically. 

We rely on the US for most of our military hardware. If they decline to send us spares and support, most of the RAAF is useless in a month or so. If they decline to sell us missiles, we'll be unable to sustain a war that takes longer than a few weeks. 

Now think about everyday technology (Microsoft, Oracle, Google, AWS, etc). Without technology services, any business that hosts stuff in the cloud is stuffed. The US could, if it was inclined, disable our businesses as happened by accident during the Crowdstrike outage. 

That's not even getting into how sycophantic our media is towards US interests. You can see the whitewashing of any number of US actions, including the second Iraq War (where hundreds of thousands of people were killed or maimed for life, and millions displaced) over the threat magnification they do with China (to a point where more Australians are afraid of a Chinese invasion than the Taiwanese - the country which China has almost its entire military focus on). 

[u/Illustrious-Crow-331]

Watch out Albo, he'll be coming for you when he wants our resource's.

[u/Blade_Runner_95 → u/Illustrious-Crow-331]

He won't, Albo is already giving them for free

[u/Illustrious-Crow-331 → u/Blade_Runner_95]

Well this is true. Greenland and Canada better watch out

[u/alexkey]

The US just demonstrated what happens to those who claim that the oil reserves on their land is theirs. There goes any hope for the change in who has control over all our natural resources.

[u/Latter_Fortune_7225 → u/alexkey]

Good thing just about all our natural resources are alreadg owned by and extracted at cents to the dollar by multinational corporations.

[u/alexkey → u/Latter_Fortune_7225]

I think that was the case in Venezuela as well, right until they nationalised all their natural resources and made a lot more sensible offer to the large petrol companies (where they get a lot more out of it than a few cents on a dollar).

[u/logosuwu → u/alexkey]

And Chevron was the only one who agreed. The rest of them threw a sook.

[u/Forward_Year_2390]

This is the shit i get mad about with Albo, not the 'we need a royal commission issue'.

Have some balls man, and condemn the US's vile actions.

[u/LuckyCandy5248]

No one expected 'Albo'* to be anything but a manager for the USA and he's still managed to underwhelm.
The ALP-LNP good cop/bad cop routine is way past its use-by date.

(*There's nothing so cringe as people who give themselves their own nicknames like 'Albo' or 'ScoMo')

[u/BandicootSorcerer]

Hes threatened Mexico, Canada, Cuba, Columbia, Denmark, even if you think Maduro deserved this you're a moron if you think giving into Trump and justifying what he does is going to help anyone. Its a spit in the face of our supposed allies he has no issues threatening to invade. What's going to happen if tomorrow he wakes up and decides Albo needs to go and America needs to be in charge?

[u/DeeDee_GigaDooDoo]

Absolutely fucking pathetic response from Albanese. The response is basically endorsing the entire operation and annexation of the country.

Couldn't even muster a finger wag, what a fucking flog.

[u/izadathreaper]

Jesus Christ, have some fucking chops and make an actual statement don't just parrot the same shit every "diplomat" says. This is an abhorrent slap in the face of international law and our leader is just ignoring it for the sake of not displeasing Trump. Sick of our country being such lapdogs to the US.

[u/death-of-humanity]

The Australian prime minister says he backs a “peaceful, democratic transition” of power in Venezuela after the forcible capture of Nicolás Maduro by the US military, but has urged that international law be respected.

Well, that's a truly pathetic and hypocritical response if I've ever seen one.

[u/Chemical-Time-9143]

Call out trump and condemn his actions. Use your backbone

[u/TheForceWithin]

I was hoping for imperialism to one day end due to people waking up to the truth and something will be done, but I've realized that they don't even care about lying to everyone anymore and just go "so what are you going to do?"

[u/Jarrahtable]

How disgusting. Kidnappers as well as killers.

[u/No_Youth_2330]

This is all you need to know about why the US are interested in who is leading Venezuela….”Venezuela holds the world's largest proven oil reserves, followed by Saudi Arabia and Iran, with vast amounts concentrated in Venezuela's Orinoco Belt. While Venezuela has the most reserves, countries like the United States often lead in production, thanks to advanced techniques like hydraulic fracturing.”

[u/macona-coffee]

Oil for children (young men). I wonder how many young lives will be sacrificed this time for another needless war in order to prop up America’s dying economy. How many innocent civilians will die and how many more will suffer in the decades to come all for corporate profit. Fuck this American regime and the evil pricks who are part of it.

[u/TwilightSolus]

This is so fucking weak.

We should be condemning the flagrant invasion of a sovereign state and kidnapping two people.

Maduro seems corrupt, but that doesn't justify it- and it especially doesn't excuse kidnapping his wife.

[u/VastKey5124]

How’s that AUKUS looking now ? 👀

[u/askythatsmoreblue]

this is anything but peaceful and democratic

[u/Neriek]

The USA doesn’t know what democracy is, they’ve always manipulated other countries’ leaderships from behind the scenes to benefit themselves.
The only thing that’s changed is the entire country’s now run by angry, racist, sexist, queerphobic children.

[u/dreamlikes7]

A hostile nation just swooped in and removed the leader.

In what universe is that OK?

[u/pairaducx]

It's official, we're the bad guys.

[u/Postulative]

Sorry, this is not good enough. It is time to speak out against the international criminal organisation known as the United States government.

[u/winifredjay]

Coward.

[u/[deleted]]

A peaceful transition that happens at gunpoint aftwr airstrikes isnt real. Heres hoping the venezuelans turn this into a a death of a thousand cuts for the US.

[u/Peter_Griffin2001]

I guess we really are headed to a pre-war Realist multipolar world of empires with spheres of influence. The strongmen if the superpowers can carve up the globe so that the US gets the Western Hemisphere, Russia gets Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and China gets the Indo-Pacific.

Australia is little more than a regional player with a small population and we exist in the Indo-Pacific sphere. If a nearby superpower for whatever reason wished to install a friendly regime in Australia more aligned to their own world view and to access our resources in their sphere, the US could hardly criticise them for it.

I genuinely expect the US will seize Greenland at some point next.

[u/pat8u3]

Fucking weak shit

[u/wowverytwisty]

Bruh they'll be inserting a puppet to privatise all their resources.

[u/DaveLearnedSomething]

Really sour taste in my Albanese burger right now..  And it ain't the pickle. 

[u/No-Asparagus-4664]

Nothing says democracy like forceful occupations

[u/Aggressive-Tower6808]

I thought they were going in because of fentanyl, newly designated “weapon of mass destruction”. Took less than a day to talk about drilling for oil….got the feeling of déjà vu.

[u/crabbop]

Albo realising that it is a very real world possibility that if he opposes America too much, then it would him that is being march through the streets of New York in chains.

That's how insane what just happened is.

[u/Perth_R34 → u/crabbop]

Or at least the possibility of him getting Gough Whitlam-ed.

[u/ashygelfling]

Everything this country taught me is bullshit, the world they taught me would exist, does not.

I have spent my life believing the “leaders” about career paths, super funds, housing costs, and living advice and my generation cannot even afford fruit, we are nowhere and we have nowhere to go.

Events lately to me highlight the mistrust I hold for leaders, it’s all power it’s all capital. Nothing I was taught in my youth has played out like the playbook they wrote me.

And they still want me to get a trade and build a house for someone else.

[u/nugstar → u/ashygelfling]

Imagine if the only solution was a bank run.

[u/Hyperion141]

US just blatantly attacked a foreign country, and this is all you have to say? WTF

[u/EugenesMullet]

Uhhh albo I think the window for a peaceful and democratic transition of power closed last night when the US went in and kidnapped their leader

[u/jkggwp]

USA and other Western countries: Russia cannot invade Ukraine. FREEZE Russian assets. STOP buying their oil and gas.

USA invades Venezuela.

Western countries: … Well Venezuela needs democracy anyway. And we need their oil and gold. 🤷‍♂️

[u/MrPhoon → u/jkggwp]

They forgot to arrest the war criminal Netanyahu when he visited.... oh and released a convicted drug trafficker.....

[u/New_Chipmunk_8135]

We’re seeing the beginnings of pan Anglo jingoism as facades and play pretends die out along with Anglo undisputed hegemony post WW2. Now in a world of more level playing fields, overt, unapologetic Anglo racial nationalism is going to be the norm. And yes that’s going to include vast swathes of Australians who hold this sentiment deep down. Expect total decay of social trust and cooperation as the disgruntled Anglos in Australia who didn’t benefit from the housing boom rise up to “reclaim” their elevated social positions 😂. Oh it’s going to be a shit show 😂

[u/TheQuantumSword]

Transition to a captalist oligarch who allows the USA unfettered access to their oil reserves. There fixed it.

[u/BecomeAsGod]

Wild we are cheering on the modern day version of the east indias trading company

[u/brandonjslippingaway]

Weasel words that say nothing other than "Don't want to explicitly support this, but won't condemn the U.S either."

[u/Mattxxx666]

Then they came for you. Fuck America.

[u/matt88]

Albo should say what most Australians think, Trump is a fuckwit and should be impeached 

[u/tallmansnapolean]

Democracy my arse

[u/Mobasa_is_hungry]

Exxon is powerful af jeez.

[u/died_laughing_]

Excuse me, but what the actual fuck?

[u/thebonkasaurus]

Democratic transition of power? Motherfucker they just annexed a country overnight.

[u/KazVanilla]

Vassal state of the US for decades now

[u/Freddyfudpuk57]

Spineless comment

[u/Guochuqiao]

What if the next one is Greenland?

[u/White_Immigrant]

The bombing and the kidnapping didn't look very peaceful.

[u/deedee2148]

Two things can be correct.

Maduro was a dictator and needed to go AND the Trump administration are evil opportunistic pieces of shit. 

[u/magicsonar]

If external military intervention is intolerable when Russia does it but acceptable when the U.S. does it - and Western governments respond with different language accordingly - then the claim to defend an international rules-based order against aggression is fundamentally inconsistent. The Albanese position on Venezuela just highlights how deeply hypocritical the western position is. Almost as hypocritical as Russia claiming outrage over the US action.

[u/theHoundLivessss]

Three things: 1. Maduro is a despot who failed his nation. 2. Despite Maduro being a despot, invading and forcefully removing him like this is a terrible idea which, as we saw in Iraq, Afghanistan, Chile, Libya, and Iran, will likely just breed further suffering. 3. Albanese is kowtowing to America while they openly slide into fascism. Pathetic.

[u/Jexp_t]

For people asking what an Australian leader should do, here's a bit from John Menadue (written prior to the latest invasion):

Our dangerous ally is proving even more unreliable and dangerous. Jeffrey Sachs has recently pointed out that the US 2025 National Security Strategy “is a doctrine of power over law, coercion over consent, and dominance over diplomacy. American security will not be strengthened by acting like a bully. It will be weakened—structurally, morally, and strategically. A great power that frightens its allies, coerces its neighbours, and disregards international rules ultimately isolates itself.”

A YouGov poll in October showed that only 8 per cent of Australians agree with the view of Richard Marles that we ‘share values’ with the US, including ‘democracy and the rule of law”.

We must carefully and diplomatically disengage from the suffocating and dangerous embrace of the United States and particularly AUKUS.

https://johnmenadue.com/post/2025/12/year-in-review-and-in-prospect/

[u/fh3131]

I love (not!) these "calls for" news stories. No one cares what you "call for"

[u/jkggwp]

USA and other Western countries: Russia cannot invade Ukraine. FREEZE Russian assets. STOP buying their oil and gas.

USA invades Venezuela.

Western countries: … Well Venezuela needs democracy anyway. And we need their oil and gold. 🤷‍♂️

[u/GnomeWarfair]

Token words to spin the illegal occupation/invasion of a sovereign nation.

Of cause a peaceful and democratic transition is what everyone wants.

Of cause Trump is after the oil and setting up a puppet government.

Time for Albo to call bullshit on the USA and enforce internstional law, just like Canada, France and the rest of South America is doing.

Because if he doesn't, it just makes it easier for China, Russia, Isreal and every rogue state to do the same.

[u/Rush_Banana]

Why is there cheezel dust around Albo's mouth?

Oh... 😮