Fact vs Fiction: Why Venezuela’s Oil Isn’t America’s to Take

Letter to the editor

Dear Editor,

President Donald Trump’s assertion that Venezuela has “stolen its oil” and that the United States should “take the oil back” is factually incorrect, legally indefensible, and historically misleading. Such claims distort fundamental principles of international law, sovereignty, and the history of Venezuela’s petroleum industry.

First, Venezuela has not “stolen” its oil. Petroleum resources within its borders are sovereign property under international law, a principle reinforced by the United Nations Charter and decades of customary law. No foreign power, including the United States, has legal ownership simply because U.S. companies once operated there.

Second, Venezuela’s 1976 nationalization of its oil industry was a lawful exercise of state sovereignty, similar to Saudi Arabia, Norway, and Mexico. Nationalization is not theft; it is a recognized right of nations to control strategic resources. Compensation mechanisms and diplomatic channels were in place for affected companies.

Third, the suggestion that the United States could “take” Venezuelan oil constitutes resource seizure, violating international law, including the prohibition against using force against another state’s territorial integrity. Such ideas echo outdated colonial-era doctrines that the modern international order explicitly rejects.

Fourth, Venezuela’s oil crisis is not evidence of theft but of mismanagement, corruption, and the effects of international sanctions. These sanctions have severely restricted Venezuela’s ability to sell oil, access financing, and maintain infrastructure, contributing to economic decline and humanitarian challenges.

Finally, framing the issue as stolen property obscures the real debate: how the world can engage with Venezuela respecting law, human rights, and diplomacy. Disputes over governance or economic policy do not grant any nation the right to seize another’s resources.

In short, Venezuelan oil belongs to Venezuela. Any claim to “take it back” is grounded neither in fact, law, nor justice and risks undermining the very international norms the United States has historically championed.

Adiel Ismail |  Mountview