An analysis from Bloomberg Opinion by Javier Blas suggests that a military intervention in Venezuela would have a minimal impact on the oil market while potentially unlocking its vast reserves. The article outlines the deployment of the USS Ford aircraft carrier and describes a regime change scenario that would favor companies like Exxon Mobil and Conoco Phillips, which have historically been in conflict with Caracas over expropriations. The timeline hints at a potential action between November 15 and Christmas.
Editorial: La Tabla/Plataforma de Periodismo de Datos 8 NOV 2025
An article published this week in Bloomberg, signed by Javier Blas, can be seen as a manual justifying a military intervention in Venezuela, echoing previous warnings from La Tabla/Plataforma de Periodismo de Datos.
Blas, former head of the oil sector at Bloomberg, explains why Washington would deploy the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier and B-1 Lancer bombers to the Caribbean. “The initial excuse was an anti-drug operation,” he writes. “However, by now, the military deployment includes the types of weapons most commonly used for overthrowing governments rather than for destroying small drug-trafficking vessels.”
The columnist argues that a military action would have a minimal effect on oil prices because Venezuela represents less than 1% of the global market. His reasoning is that the downfall of Nicolás Maduro could be “bearish for the oil market” in the long run by unlocking Venezuelan production potential.
He describes a scenario where “a pro-Western and pro-business government could turn Venezuela into a major supply source,” as the opposition spokesperson María Machado has suggested in global energy forums.
This analysis is framed within the close relationship between the Trump administration and major oil companies. During his presidency, Trump has maintained alliances with executives from Exxon Mobil, Continental Resources, Chevron, Conoco Philips, and Koch Industries, firms that have funded his campaigns and participated in shaping his energy policy. These corporations have been in conflict with Venezuela since the administrations of Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro over expropriations and nationalizations of their oil assets in the country.
Blas downplays the risk of 1 million barrels per day at stake as “nothing” and dismisses the idea that Maduro could affect oil facilities in Guyana, where Exxon and Chevron operate. The proposed timeline is precise: he points out that military action could occur “from around November 15 until the days leading up to Christmas.”
The article has been widely promoted by Francisco Monaldi, a Venezuelan researcher at the Baker Institute of Rice University, revealing an alignment among academic, financial, and media circles that view Venezuela as an untapped resource.
Blas concludes that “it was politics, more than trade, that prevented Venezuela from becoming an oil giant” and that “politicians come and go, just like political ideologies; geology is unchanging.”