BruceVC

I see oil investment and rebuilding Venezuela's collapsed oil infrastructure is going ahead nicely, that revenue is the key to restoring the country and public\private sector partnerships are going to be implemented like it use to be before Chavez started nationalizing\stealing foreign oil assets https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2...nts-oil-law-reform-to-break-with-chavez-model " Caracas, Venezuela: Venezuela’s parliament has advanced a proposal to loosen the state’s control over its oil industry and boost the private sector’s role in the first major overhaul of the industry in years. The proposal to reform Venezuela’s Hydrocarbons Law was thrust upon the country after the abduction of former President Nicolas Maduro by the United States on January 3 and had generated significant interest across businesses and political parties. Approved in its first reading on Thursday, the reform breaks with several principles of the oil nationalisation carried out by former President Hugo Chavez in 2006, which reserved exclusive crude marketing rights for state-owned oil company PDVSA. The new text allows direct commercialisation by private companies, permits the opening of bank accounts in any currency and jurisdiction, and, while reaffirming PDVSA’s majority stake in joint ventures, allows minority partners to exercise technical and operational management. The bill also proposes repealing the law that reserves ancillary services related to primary oil activities for the state, allowing private companies to subcontract oil extraction, provided they assume the associated costs and risks." Also the whole concern about " utter chaos and further instability in Venezuela if Maduro is removed " is not happening. Its primarily because most Venezuelans just want a functional country and Maduro as a leader systematically destroyed that reality https://www.terra.com.br/noticias/mundo/quase-ninguem-mais-fala-de-nicolas-maduro-na-venezuela,c92d4d1f52fe6fcef2b6b519530cd4e1x7j68fio.html "Almost no one talks about Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela anymore People go about their lives amid high inflation and hopes for improvement Almost 20 days after Nicolás Maduro was captured by US special forces in Caracas, Venezuelans hardly talk about the deposed leader anymore. A partially contained economic crisis, which manifests itself in daily increases in food prices, coupled with expectations of improvement through oil exploration, are recurring themes in different social and family contexts. In various cafes and bakeries, conversations these days tend to revolve around promises of a revival in the oil sector. "Trump has announced the mass return of foreign companies to the sector," commented a group of office workers gathered around a shared table, referring to the US president, who maintains a kind of guardianship over the Venezuelan government following Maduro's arrest and his appearance before the courts in New York. Experts estimate that this return could involve giants such as Chevron, ExxonMobil, and other European multinationals, which would inject up to US$ 20 billion in the first two years, according to projections by the Venezuelan Chamber of Petroleum. The potential impact includes the creation of thousands of direct jobs in the Orinoco Belt fields, an increase in crude oil production from the current 1.2 million barrels per day to more than 2 million by 2027, and the stabilization of the national energy supply. In a country with a long history of oil-based economics, all of this is easily understood by Venezuelans. Even those who do not work directly in the hydrocarbon industry expect to benefit from crude oil production. Meanwhile, in homes, Maduro is rarely mentioned, as the high cost of living dominates family conversations. Prices for essential goods, from flour to medicine, are pegged to the dollar or the euro, meaning that daily fluctuations in the local currency market exacerbate inflation. "Buying a basic food basket for a family of four costs the equivalent of $600 a month, but our income is less than $150 when we add up what I earn and what my husband earns," explains María López (a fictitious name for fear of reprisals), a resident of Petare, one of the most populous neighborhoods in Caracas. This situation has forced many to reduce the number of meals they eat, take on multiple jobs, or accept temporary work, as informal jobs are known in Venezuela. In 20% of households, remittances sent by Venezuelans who have emigrated also help alleviate the crisis. Before his capture on January 3, Maduro had warned that his arrest would trigger a "major general strike" and national chaos. None of that happened. Ordinary people, exhausted by years of shortages and repression, seem to have moved on. "Maduro is history," said a taxi driver stuck in Caracas traffic. Memes and deepfakes are circulating on social media showing the former Venezuelan dictator wearing an orange jumpsuit in an American prison, but checks by specialized websites confirm that these are creations of artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, in the political sphere, the unicameral National Assembly, headed by Jorge Rodríguez, brother of interim president Delcy Rodríguez, has become the scene of disparate interventions. On the one hand, the capture of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, is denounced as a "kidnapping," but without direct attacks on Trump. On the other hand, the same Parliament is preparing to carry out a profound reform of the laws, including the strategic Hydrocarbons Law, following guidelines from Washington. Initially, starting on January 5, supporters of Chavismo held marches in Caracas, but with low turnout, according to observers, under the slogans "Maduro will return" or "We want them back." This week, however, none of these demonstrations took place. According to independent records, civil servants often participate in these marches under duress. There was one such demonstration in the capital on Wednesday, with few participants. In practice, life goes on in Venezuela without Maduro. Children and teenagers attend school, the oil industry is preparing for what could be a qualitative leap driven by Trump, and Chavismo has not boycotted cooperation with the United States, although analysts point to the existence of internal friction and disagreements, as demonstrated by the slow release of political prisoners, a central demand in the White House's messages. For now, the echoes of Maduro and Flores' arrest are fading, although state television insists on highlighting them. What Venezuelans are whispering and debating is uncertainty about the future, as it is not known how long Rodríguez will remain in power as interim president, but there is hope in the face of expectations for economic growth.

https://www.ohchr.org/en/media-advisories/2026/01/human-rights-council-adopts-resolution-extending-mandates-fact-finding As expected the UN Human Rights Council has adopted a resolution condemning Iran and the killing of thousands of protestors. The real consequence will be limited as usual but this resolution adds continued global attention and visibility to the oppressive nature of the Iranian state and a fact finding investigation will be initiated Only 7 countries voted against the resolution and they were China, Cuba, Indonesia , Iraq, India, Pakistan and Vietnam In summary the resolution states " In a resolution (A/HRC/S-39/L.1) on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, especially in the context of the repression of nationwide protests starting on 28 December 2025, as orally revised, adopted by a vote of 25 in favour, 7 against and 14 abstentions, the Council strongly deplores the violent crackdown of peaceful protests resulting in the deaths of thousands of persons, including children, and large numbers of injured individuals, as well as the arrest of thousands in connection with the nationwide protests that started on 28 December 2025; urges the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to respect, protect and fulfil its human rights obligations and to take all measures necessary to stop and prevent extrajudicial killing, other forms of arbitrary deprivation of life, enforced disappearance, sexual and gender-based violence, arbitrary arrest and detention, incommunicado detention and torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, including against peaceful protesters; decides to extend the mandate of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran, for a further period of two years, and requests the Fact-Finding Mission to present a report to the Council at its sixty-fourth and sixty-seventh sessions during an interactive dialogue and to present an oral update, to be followed by an interactive dialogue, on the implementation of the mandate to the General Assembly at its eighty-first and eighty-second sessions; requests the Fact-Finding Mission to conduct an urgent investigation into allegations of recent and ongoing serious human rights violations and abuses and crimes perpetrated in relation to the protests that began on 28 December 2025, including for potential future legal proceedings in line with its mandate, and to present a report on its findings to the Council at its sixty-third session, during an interactive dialogue, and to provide an oral briefing update to the General Assembly, during a joint interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur at the eighty-first session of the Assembly; and decides to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, for a further period of one year, to order to continue to monitor the ongoing situation of human rights in the country, including civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, and to measure progress in the implementation of recommendations, and requests the Special Rapporteur to submit a report to the Council at its sixty-fourth session, during a joint interactive dialogue with the Fact-Finding Mission and to the General Assembly at its eighty-first session."

Russia was going to join but only because of a translation problem, they thought it was called the " board of pieces " But on a serious note, Trump thinks this will somehow create an alternative to the UNSC and how it often "fails " to agree on creating solutions to wars But this is because of the veto which is actually necessary and of course the US itself is guilty of using the veto when its suits them Any serious new global initiative to end wars without most Western counties being part of it is doomed to fail

" The board of peace " ..what a joke Have you seen the countries that are on the board I am prepared to make prediction, they will come up with ideas for Gaza peace that have already been discussed but not implemented and they will achieve nothing substantive in other conflicts And once Trump is no longer president it will collapse into obscurity, like it never existed

The USA was never going invade Greenland, that was just the expected sensationalism and SM drama with this story. There were comparisons to the regime change in Venezuela to how Greenland was going to be annexed and they not remotely the same thing for various reasons that include how Congress wont support any military action over the taking of Greenland despite the rhetoric from several of Trumps spokespeople. Would they declare Greenland an example of narcoterrorism Trump initially tried the threat of economic bullying to try to take Greenland through tariffs and now he was dropped that idea We dont know what this " framework " deal is he suggested and I doubt he even knows. But yes the EU and Canada stood there ground and it was good to see some backbone but its what you expect because as we discussed this was about the future of a sovereign territory that is part of an EU country and they had to draw a line

Thanks, its important to get collaboration with this type of feedback. I am going to share what you guys have mentioned with my family because we currently discussing Greenland and what the US wants to do and my SA family dont know any Danes to get personal feedback so forum feedback like this is important Its interesting you and @Gorgon mentioned Danish Colonialism because its not something I was aware of. In all the discussions and research I have done about European Colonialism its almost all around Africa so Denmark was never mentioned. But I see there was 1 Danish colony which I had never heard of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danish_Gold_Coast Just for the record I have watched lots of interviews with Greenlanders lately and none of them seemed to have a negative opinion of Denmark and they all prefer the current setup to being annexed by the USA Its probably because the anxiety of becoming Trump's latest "win " is much more real than what happened in the past and Denmark has made amends as Gorgon mentioned?

I stopped watching Trumps speeches at live events about 14 months ago and I just follow highlights But my stepmom was very angry and asked me to come watch "what Trump was saying " So to be polite I watched about 20 minutes of his Davos ramblings and it was the predictable waste of time with him going off script and peddling revisionist and selective " facts" He megalomania is getting worse as he gets older, he did make me laugh because he makes such inaccurate points about history and world events

Thanks, this is the feedback I was looking for and expecting and you have to ask Danes to get it The entire Greenland narrative has been hijacked and misrepresented by Trump and the media in general Its become about Trumps hubris or how " important "Greenland is to Denmark but would anyone be talking about how " important " Greenland is to Denmark if Trump wasnt trying to force US control over it? But I do understand the EU pushback because its about the principle and respect of sovereignty and the rules based order and Trump has now resorted to tariffs to get his way So I support the EU position I just wanted information about the reality of Greenland for Denmark which you have provided

Not a surprise at all DOGE became the perfect example of a sensationalized and failed Trump policy Add to that he brought in Musk who thought public sector and private sector restructuring is the same and it was almost guaranteed that all the grandstanding and rhetoric on DOGE achievements would end in the failure it became

I wanted to ask you and @Gorth what is the sentiment from Danes about Greenland normally? But I am not interested in the media stories around Trumps comments but the actual opinions of citizens which will vary and I am interested more in the RL connection Danes have for Greenland And this is not about me trying to support Trumps aspirations about owning Greenland because I dont support that for any of the reasons he has mentioned and I reject his usage of tariffs on several EU countries Is Greenland something that the average Dane is proud of, do people go on holiday there and is Greenland just assumed to be part of Denmark when it comes to your history? What does Denmark gain from " owning" Greenland, I found this information from a quick search. Is this accurate? ( its standard AI initial feedback so it could be inaccurate ) What Greenland Offers Denmark: Strategic Arctic Presence: A strong Danish voice and military footing in the strategically important Arctic region. International Image: Reinforces Denmark's self-perception as a benevolent global actor, fostering its "good global citizen" status. Mineral Resources: Potential future revenues from oil, gas, and critical minerals, though extraction remains challenging. EU Rights (Historically): Previous fisheries access to Greenland's waters contributed to EU development funds for Greenland.

Not at all, I wish US tariff threats were meaningless USA tariffs threats are still a concern for most countries because most of the tariffed countries rely on heavy exports to the US Only China has been able to more or less insulate itself from US tariffs because they learnt from last time But what we are seeing is countries building around US tariffs threats South Africa and almost all of Africa is very concerned with any tariffs from the US but AGOA looks like it will be renewed so thats good news, its gone through Congress and just needs Trumps signature with still some uncertainty specifically for South Africa https://www.forbesafrica.com/current-affairs/2026/01/15/agoa-renewal-moves-one-step-closer-but-south-africas-eligibility-remains-uncertain " The United States (U.S.) House of Representatives has approved a three-year extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), following President Donald Trump’s decision to uproot the duty-free agreement in October. Established in 2000 under President Bill Clinton, the preferential trade program offered 32 sub-Saharan African nations duty-free access to the U.S. market for thousands of exports. Despite a renewal receiving the majority vote, 340 to 54, participating states know reinstatement remains uncertain. The bill now heads to the U.S. Senate, which, if approved, will await final approval from Trump, who halted the 25-year agreement just three months ago. "

https://www.wypr.org/2026-01-16/irans-supreme-leader-acknowledges-thousands-killed-as-pressure-builds-on-clerical-rule The Iranian supreme leader has admitted thousands of people were killed during the protests " Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has acknowledged that "thousands" of people have been killed — some of them in what he called an "inhuman, savage manner" — during weeks of unrest across the country. The rare public admission, which took place during a speech broadcast on state television, comes as international scrutiny of Iran's crackdown continues — and after Iranian officials had previously acknowledged significant casualties while blaming terrorists, foreign governments and intelligence agencies for fomenting unrest. But human rights groups say the scale of violence has been far greater than authorities have — until now — admitted publicly. The Norway-based organization Iran Human Rights estimates that more than 3,400 people have been killed nationwide since the protests began, while the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists in Iran group has also documented thousands of deaths and widespread arrests of demonstrators." And the global attention on the brutal crackdown is not going away Obviously Russia and China vetoed any UNSC resolution on Iran but its now been refered to the UN Human Rights Council, I am very interested to see how South Africa will vote because we currently a member https://unwatch.org/after-security-council-meeting-balks-on-iran-30-ngos-demand-unhrc-urgent-session/ "After yesterday’s Security Council meeting on Iran yesterday failed to produce any outcome resolution, a cross-regional coalition of 30 non-governmental organizations and human rights groups today sent an urgent appeal to 100 UN ambassadors in Geneva calling for an emergency session of the UN Human Rights Council to address what they describe as the “horrific mass killings” of protesters by the Islamic Republic of Iran. “Due to the veto power of China and Russia, the Security Council is blocked from taking action on Iran, but we know from past experience that if EU states take the lead at the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council — where there is no veto — they can adopt a strong condemnation of the Iranian regime’s massacre of protesters, and establish mechanisms of investigation, accountability and justice,” said Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of UN Watch, an independent Geneva-based human rights group that plays a leading role in supporting Iranian dissidents. Signatories to today’s appeal come from Australia, Cameroon, Canada, France, Gambia, Ghana, India, Japan, Latvia, Moldova, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United States. The coalition warned that Iran’s violent crackdown on nationwide protests that began on December 28 has resulted in grave, widespread, and systematic violations of international human rights law. Thousands of protesters have been killed by Iranian security forces in recent weeks, with many more injured, arbitrarily detained, tortured, or forcibly disappeared. Protesters have been shot with live ammunition, detainees denied access to lawyers and medical care, and journalists, students, women, and minority communities deliberately targeted. Internet shutdowns and information blackouts have further concealed the full scale of abuses."

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/south-africa-voices-concern-over-iran-unrest-urges-parties-to-show-restraint/3800247 The SA government has finally made a statement about the Iran crackdown. Its days late but at least they said something " South Africa said on Thursday it was monitoring the protests in Iran with concern, urging all parties to exercise “maximum” restraint. “Sustainable peace and stability can only be achieved through solutions that center the agency of the Iranian people,” a Foreign Ministry statement said. Pretoria called on Iranian authorities to guarantee citizens’ right to peaceful protest, responding to “concerning” reports of unrest and fatalities. The ministry stressed that South Africa considers the rights to peaceful protest, freedom of expression, and freedom of association as universal human rights that “must be upheld without exception.”

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/01/iran-massacre-of-protesters-demands-global-diplomatic-action-to-signal-an-end-to-impunity/ As predicted Iran has unleashed the full might of its security forces to crush the protests, total deaths are anything from 3k-10k but because of the Internet and information blackout we will never know total deaths And as expected South Africa has a completely inconsistent stance on this latest crackdown. We have failed to unequivocally condemn Iran, there is a deafening silence around what should be the foundation of our foreign policy According to our foreign affairs our foreign policy decisions are based on "human rights and Constitutionalism " So the reason we took a position on countries like Venezuela and Israel is because of this And yet its amazing listening to the mental gymnastics of some people on talk-shows trying to justify why we cant condemn whats happening in Iran, the excuses range from " we shouldn't get involved in the affairs of other countries " to " but Iran is just trying to survive and they have a siege mentality because of years of Western sanctions " None of that matters if the foundation of your foreign policy decisions is based on human rights The DA has demanded that the ANC take Iran to the UN Human Rights Council but I doubt we will see that happening. That type of outrage and global action only applies to Western countries or Israel and BRICS countries get a pass when they flagrantly and egregiously ignore human rights https://www.polity.org.za/article/da-asks-lamola-to-report-iran-for-human-rights-abuses-2026-01-14 "In a letter written to Lamola, the DA said the use of blatantly deadly oppression against civilians by a sitting government is one of the “most egregious forms of human rights abuse witnessed anywhere in the world” with the party questioning South Africa’s relationship with the country. DA spokesperson on International Relations and Cooperation Ryan Smith said the principles of freedom, democracy and human rights enshrined in the South African Constitution compels Lamola to execute his sworn duty, as the custodian of the country’s foreign policy, to protect global citizens against autocratic regimes. Smith said the UNHRC was the “ideal” international forum where South African foreign policy, rooted in the Constitution, could find expression on the international stage. He said as a member of the Government of National Unity (GNU), the DA would not tolerate South Africa “turning a blind eye to brutal authoritarian regimes at the African National Congress’s (ANC’s) behest”.

I had a chat with some of my family last night about this and they agree with you and @Lexx They also support what the Clintons are doing because they believe its just a way to create a distraction from Trumps involvement so the entire inquiry is insincere