Venezuela possesses the world’s largest proven oil reserves—over 300 billion barrels, with an estimated value of around 17 trillion dollars. But that is not the decisive point. The United States does not need this oil. China, however, does.

China purchases almost 90 percent of Venezuelan crude oil, nearly all of Iran’s oil, and a significant portion of Russia’s exports. Trump understood something that many politicians ignore: power does not come from possessing energy, but from controlling who has access to it. If Venezuela is destabilized while pressure is simultaneously applied to Iran, China would instantly lose roughly 70 percent of its oil supply that is not regulated by the United States. The action sends a clear signal to Beijing that there is no room in the Western Hemisphere for a rival great power.

And you know what? That also means no fuel for a Taiwan war, no energy for AI dominance, no realistic foundation for a BRICS currency that could replace the dollar. No shot fired. No formal war. Just leverage. As Marco Rubio put it: The United States does...

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