The resources of a country belong to its own people. Venezuela's resources belong to Venezuelans. Ukraine's belong to Ukrainians. The Palestinian territories' resources belong to Palestinians. Canada's belong to Canadians. The resources of the United States belong to us.
We appear to be returning to an era of imperialism — the United States once again asserting a right to use military and economic power over the people and resources of other lands. History suggests this rarely ends well.
Actions like these set a precedent. When one major power claims another nation's resources by force or coercion, it makes it that much easier for Putin to justify invading Ukraine, or for China to justify absorbing Taiwan and Hong Kong. This is the behavior of dictators, not democracies.
The current administration has threatened Canada, Greenland, and Denmark over their resources. The question worth asking is: what comes next?
Will the Venezuelan people actually benefit if American oil corporations are handed control over Venezuelan resources? Will the American people benefit from yet more polluting fossil fuel extraction? Or is this simply a distraction from more pressing domestic problems — corruption scandals and a badly lopsided economy?
The stakes are serious enough that the usual political courtesies should not apply. This is not a moment for politeness about a path that endangers both our standing in the world and the people whose resources are being claimed on our behalf.