Venezuela Isn't Just a Failed State — It's a Criminal One

My friends, today’s headlines are loud, emotional, and — as usual — missing the point.

What happened in Venezuela is being framed as either American imperialism, an oil grab, or a reckless foreign policy gamble.

None of those explanations hold up once you step back and actually examine what Venezuela became over the last two decades.

This wasn’t just a “mismanaged” country. It wasn’t a struggling democracy that simply made poor economic choices.

Venezuela evolved into a full-blown criminal enterprise operating under the appearance of a government.

When a regime controls the military, the courts, the police, and the ports — and then uses that control to facilitate drug trafficking, protect cartel leaders, and partner with hostile foreign powers — that is no longer a sovereign government acting in good faith. That is a narco-state.

And narco-states don’t just poison their own people. They destabilize regions, export crime, and threaten national security far beyond their borders.

One of the biggest mistakes we make in the West is pretending that these situations are “far away” and therefore not our concern.

Drugs don’t respect borders.

Criminal networks don’t respect borders.

And regimes that openly align with adversaries like China, Russia, Iran, and Cuba aren’t doing so out of desperation — they’re doing it strategically.

I spent time today pushing back on the idea that this was “just about oil.” Oil matters, yes — but not as loot. It matters as leverage. Control over energy routes, ports, and infrastructure becomes a pressure point when combined with criminal financing and foreign influence.

This is where the conversation gets uncomfortable for those who still want to romanticize socialism as a harmless economic experiment. Venezuela didn’t just run out of money. It ran out of accountability. Power consolidated. Opposition was crushed. Crime was institutionalized.

And once a government becomes criminal, diplomacy alone no longer works.

That doesn’t mean every intervention is justified. It doesn’t mean America should police the world. But it does mean we need to be honest about the nature of the threat instead of pretending it doesn’t exist because it makes some folks uncomfortable.

Liberty requires clarity.

Self-government requires vigilance.

And pretending evil isn’t evil because it wears the costume of government is how free societies lose their footing.

We should care about Venezuela — not because we want to control it, but because criminal regimes metastasize. Ignoring them doesn’t make them disappear. It just gives them more room to operate.

Conservative, not bitter.
Todd

🎧 Listen to today’s Toddcast here.

🔍 Venezuela’s transformation into a narco-state
♟️ Criminal regimes and global power alignment
🛢️ Why oil is leverage, not the motive
🌎 China, Russia, Iran, and regional destabilization
⚖️ Liberty versus authoritarian consolidation
🚨 Why ignoring criminal states invites future conflict

Listen here.

My friends, imagine for a moment if everyone who voted for Trump in 2024 — all 77 million of us — convinced just one more person to understand what’s at stake in our nation today.

Imagine helping someone see the importance of restoring law and order, defending our freedoms, and defeating the fourth branch of government — the bureaucratic state.

Even if  just 10 percent persuaded one more person, that’s about 8 million Americans seeing the world for what it is and the solutions for what they are.

Can you imagine the impact that would have? Wouldn’t it reshape Congress, statehouses, and even who sits in the White House in 2028?

That’s why we seek to help people hear and receive truth on the Toddcast each and every day. 

And I hope you join us in 2026.

Many of you are familiar with Krish Dhanam, who has filled in as guest host on this program from time to time.

Krish and I have been friends for nearly 15 years. He was mentored by Zig Ziglar, and he is a brilliant, humble follower of Christ.

I want to make you aware of Krish’s latest book, Read, Pray, Worship. This is a resource I think many of you may find helpful.

👉 Learn more here: https://www.patriotacademy.com/krish

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