Venezuela military intervention highlights critical resources as a new compliance hotspot
By 
Ruth Prickett2026-01-15T19:48:00
President Donald Trump’s military intervention in Venezuela has sent a message across the world that he regards resources as critical to U.S. national security and will act to secure them. In Venezuela, this primarily means crude oil reserves. However, oil is not the only valuable resource in the U.S. sights – rare minerals and metals are essential to many industries and look set to become increasingly politicized.
While companies may currently be assessing new risks and opportunities in Venezuela, compliance officers should therefore be studying geopolitics and learning from peers in the oil and gas sector. They should become accustomed to working in a rapidly changing, politicized environment.
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