Trump’s Venezuela oil grab reprises industry’s neocolonial past

The U.S. exerted outsize power over Latin America and its natural resources through much of the 20th century, stirring popular unrest, coup d'etats and the erosion of democracy.

President Donald Trump’s plan to seize direct control of Venezuela’s oil reserves is prompting warnings that the Latin American nation will become a modern-day resource colony akin to the so-called banana republics of a century ago —  something that could create long-term risks for oil companies operating there.