Ushering in the age of impunity: Venezuela, Palestine, and the end of international law

The recent sound of explosions over Venezuela, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, and Nigeria are not merely the spasms by a declining U.S. empire. They are something much more terrifying — the dawning of the age of impunity.

BY CRAIG MOKHIBER  JANUARY 7, 2026

  On January 3, 2026, without provocation, cause, or legal justification, the U.S. bombed Venezuela, invaded its capital, killed dozens of people, and violently abducted the President and First Lady of the country, binding, blindfolding, and spiriting them off to the United States.  

Surely, such a blatant violation of a whole raft of international laws, indeed, challenging the very centerpiece of the post-World War II legal framework that prohibits acts of aggression, would be met with universal condemnation. 

Instead, it has been followed by equivocal whimpers by several Western leaders, a hyper-cautious response from the UN Secretary-General, rhetorical condemnation by members of the Security Council, but no action whatsoever, and enthusiasticcheerleading by U.S. and Western corporate media. 

How could this be? 

Simply put, we are witnessing the dawning of the age of impunity. 

Slouching towards Bethlehem 

The recent sound of explosions over Venezuela, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, and Nigeria, and over the Red Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Caribbean Sea, is not merely the sound of a momentary imperial spasm by a declining U.S. empire. 

It heralds something much more terrifying. 

A new world is being birthed (or perhaps, reborn, reminiscent as it is of the horrors of the first half of the 20th Century). 

Read the entire article here.

War and Oil: Connecting the dots (and why everyone should boycott Chevron)

from Mazin Qumsiyeh

The U.S. and Israel have had a special arrangement since 1979 under which
the United States would supply oil to Israel if Israel could not secure
enough oil on its own due to shortage or supply disruption even if that
means US citizens get shortage [1]. This pact is unique: No other country
receives a similar guaranteed emergency oil supply from the U.S. and the
agreement has been extended routinely with the last a extension for ten
years! [2]. The US sent refined fuel to Israel to bomb Gaza in 2008/2009
even when gas prices at the pump got higher for US citizens [3].  In 2023,
60% of the crude oil imported by Israel (totals imports $3.23 billion) came
from Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan to Turkish ports through the Caspian
Pipeline Consortium (in which Chevron has the largest stakeholder- Chevron
is also to be the main beneficiary of the attack on Venezuela). The
percentage rose to 70% of crude supply through that pipeline between late
2023 and late 2025 [4]. Refined imports of $1.35 billion worth came mostly
from Russia, Egypt, Turkey, and Romania. The U.S. is the sole documented
supplier of military-grade jet fuel (JP-8) under aid programs during the
war [4] of course paid for by US taxpayers to decimate Gaza and
dramatically increasing greenhouse gases.

In 2020 Chevron completed a major acquisition of U.S.–based Noble Energy,
which had been the lead developer of Israel’s largest offshore natural gas
fields. This deal brought Chevron’s operations directly into Israel’s
energy sector [5]. Chevron integrated into its global portfolio the "Tamar
and Leviathan" offshore gas fields (Most portions of these belong to
Palestine based on UN partition lines) and at least part of the ownership
of the current Gaza strip [6]. In 2025, Egypt signed a deal to import $35
billion in gas from the Chevron operated gas fields (and a new "Nitzana"
pipeline) off the coast of Gaza benefitting the apartheid state and the
rich Chevron. Hence the ethnic cleansing and genocide on Gaza continues to
empty it and allow for money to continue flowing. Here are the biggest
institutional shareholders of Chevron (and people should write to them to
divest): The Vanguard Group, Inc.; State Street Corporation; Berkshire
Hathaway, Inc.; BlackRock Inc. And ofcourse boycott Chevron stations [See
7].

The Venezuelan people and most of the world are fully aware that 1) Trump
consulted with his partners in crime (Chevron CEO and Netanyahu) but not
Congress when he decided to bomb for oil  (and rare minerals) , 2) The
market bumbed up Chevron stock price upon hearing the news [8] They are
merely a stepping stone for taking over other countries (Panama, Canada,
Greenland, Cuba)... But the imperial power WILL fail. I leave that to
another analysis. But in the meantime do continue to act and we all need to
work harder to stop the lunatics pushing us to WWIII.

[1]
https://www.energy.senate.gov/services/files/894BE546-C7E6-4BC4-A3F0-9E352549109B
[2] https://www.israelnationalnews.com/flashes/323545
[3] https://wespac.org/2009/01/16/us-taxpayers-spending-over-one-billion/
[4]
https://oilchange.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Israel-Gaza-Fuel-Data-v2.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com
[5] https://israel.chevron.com/en/about
[6]
https://www.timesofisrael.com/chevron-seals-acquisition-of-noble-energy-which-operates-in-israel-gas-fields/
[7] https://bdsmovement.net/chevron https://afsc.org/BoycottChevron
[8]
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/05/market-sees-chevron-the-big-venezuela-winner-but-oil-majors-face-a-long-road.html