An initiative introduced in Congress by Representative Ilhan Omar questions the airstrikes and military actions of the United States in the Caribbean, arguing that they violate the Constitution and international law. Various voices warn of the risk of a catastrophic war with Venezuela.
The Colombian hydrocarbon sector has intensified its presence in Guyana through business agreements and increased air connectivity. However, the possibility of importing gas from Venezuela remains blocked by U.S. sanctions, heightening fears of a supply deficit by 2026.
On September 19, the UN Security Council voted on a draft resolution presented by the Republic of Korea, in its capacity as Council president, which sought to continue sanctions relief imposed on Iran under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The text did not pass: it received four votes in favor (Algeria, China, Pakistan, and Russia), nine against (Denmark, France, Greece, Panama, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Somalia, the United Kingdom, and the United States), and two abstentions (Guyana and South Korea itself).
The Venezuelan economy shows a mixed performance in 2025: GDP grew by 7.7% in the first half of the year, driven by oil production, which reached its highest levels since 2019, and the government implemented increases in public sector income. However, inflation, the devaluation of the bolivar, and U.S. oil sanctions threaten to undermine these advances, according to a report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The arrival of the floating platform Alula in Lake Maracaibo marks a new chapter in energy cooperation between China and Venezuela. The project, valued at $1 billion and led by China Concord Resources Corp (CCRC) in partnership with Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), aims to revive production in the Lago Cinco and Lagunillas Lago fields, with a target of 60,000 barrels per day by 2026.
Venezuela’s exports rose to over 966,000 barrels per day (bpd) in August, a nine-month high, according to shipping data quoted by Reuters.
The recent Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit, held in China, became a highly relevant geopolitical event that transcends the borders of Central Asia. The meeting brought together leaders of major powers and emerging countries, consolidating the SCO as a space for dialogue and coordination that seeks to offer alternatives to the international order that emerged after World War II.
James B. Story was the United States ambassador to Venezuela from July 2018 to May 2023.
Michael Paarlberg is a Political Science professor at Virginia Commonwealth University. In 2020 he served as the Latin America advisor to Bernie Sanders.
The World Food Programme (WFP) announced that it will reduce its projects in Venezuela by half during 2025 due to a lack of international funding. The measure will directly affect vulnerable communities, especially rural schools where the agency had concentrated a large part of its efforts in recent years.
