No ****. Who were they selling that oil to? I've been telling y'all this for years. Here, very simply:
America came out of WWII as the only untouched empire. Our economic might won the war, and we parlayed that into a new world order at Bretton Woods. We needed an alliance to counter the Soviets, so we bribed one up. We patrol the global oceans and facilitate global trade in return for obedience. The USSR eventually collapsed, leaving us solely in charge of the world.
Now, after decades of focusing outward, Americans have had enough of spending our blood and treasure on foreign wars and have turned inward on our own problems. America First. Like any decaying empire we fight over the scraps of what remains instead of boldly looking to what could be. So this vacuum is then filled by other players. China, Russia, and Europe. Each will look to control their sphere of influence like the old mercantilist days.
That's why they're tariffing. That's why there's been a rush to reshore manufacturing, the supply chain. Biden made it a huge priority for his administration too, passing out subsidies for chip manufacturing and all sorts of things. That's why we're in Venezuela. Controlling our hemisphere.
@FireWentOut referenced the Monroe Doctrine further up on the page. That's why we're doing all this. None of it is about you, or the American worker's quality of life.
It's about geopolitics. The oil is in our sphere so we're denying it from the others.
The Great Game has begun anew.