Venezuela and Cuba?
Lawrence O’Donnell gave an enlightening explanation of the military action in Venezuela on his MSNOW show this evening (Jan 5, 2026). I’m discussing it because it surprised me, and yet, the scenario sounds truer than any other explanation.
The key point: Venezuela is a dry run for a planned takeover of Cuba. Think back to the Bay of Pigs, a CIA operation that was initiated under President Eisenhower. It was and remains the dream (“the fever dream” in O’Donnell’s words) of then Cuban refugees from Fidel Castro’s Revolution, who are now influential Cuban-Americans, to topple the Castro Revolution. These refugees were not impoverished. Many were wealthy and had just lost their business profits to Communism. The Bay of Pigs invasion wasn’t about U.S. national defense or the preservation of democracy. Not then, not now. It was an effort to reverse the Revolution and bring back capitalism.
The Missile Crisis confrontation with Russia came later. It was a wild year of headlines. As time went by, memories were conflated, confusing in the public mind the motivations of the earlier Bay of Pigs with a Cold War nuclear crisis instigated by Khrushchev who saw a huge advantage of a Soviet-influenced foothold so close to the U.S. During those months of strife over Cuba — its form of economy and its resources — the two actions were not the same. The Bay of Pigs was not a defensive action. The Cuban Missile Crisis, which Kennedy defused with a last moment private negotiation, could have been. (If that is not what you remember, check out the many new histories on the subject or Thirteen Days: A Memoir Of The Cuban Missile Crisis, with foreword by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., an account by then-Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy).
Likewise, Venezuela is not a defensive action against drug traffickers, as we all know. Trump told us. It is about oil. Despite the dirty crude reported to come from Venezuela, multinational oil corporations are already entering the country. O’Donnell noted that Chevron (which never quite left Venezuela) is already reorganizing. Undoubtedly, Exxon is taking action, too, as well as others. They were part of the plan. Or were they? Do Chevron and Exxon believe that this arrangement will survive succeeding White House administrations in the U.S.? I’m not going there.
But why Cuba? O’Donnell points out that Secretary of State Marco Rubio — the Administration’s advocate and organizer of the Venezuela affair — is a Cuban-American. How likely is he also an advocate for regime change in Cuba? Very. Well, he’s already said it: “Cuba is next.” O’Donnell speculated that that Rubio might even hope to be the one put in charge of “running” Cuba. This administration will never understand that governing is not the same thing as running a business.
But according to O’Donnell, Denmark might take hope. O’Donnell is convinced that Trump’s threat to go after Greenland is just another Trump diversion so that we won’t pay attention to Cuba.
UPDATE (1/11/2026): https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-issues-takeover-warning-to-neighboring-country-in-morning-rant/
