Russian Tankers Break Sanctions as US Loses Control of Caribbean | Col. Douglas Macgregor

Описание: What just unfolded off the coast of Venezuela is not a routine energy transaction. It is a strategic shockwave reverberating through Washington, exposing the limits of American power and signaling a dangerous escalation in the global struggle for dominance.

Three Russian oil tankers—long assumed frozen by U.S. sanctions—have sailed freely from Venezuelan waters, fully loaded with crude, bound for China. The United States could not stop them. Not diplomatically. Not financially. Not militarily. For the first time in decades, America watched helplessly as its sanctions regime collapsed in real time, just 2,200 kilometers from Florida.

This moment strikes at the heart of the Monroe Doctrine, the 200-year-old principle that defined Latin America as Washington’s exclusive sphere of influence. That doctrine justified coups, invasions, blockades, and economic warfare across the hemisphere. Today, it lies shattered—not by speeches or treaties, but by steel hulls cutting through Caribbean waters under Russian escort.

The operation was not improvised. Moscow spent years studying U.S. sanctions, identifying loopholes, and building an alternative financial architecture with China. Payments bypassed the dollar entirely, flowing through yuan and ruble systems beyond Western control. The result: sanctions rendered operationally useless.

Strategically, the implications are explosive. Russia has demonstrated it can project power into America’s backyard while China absorbs the energy lifeline Washington tried to cut. Venezuelan oil—once destined for Texas refineries—is now fueling Asian economies, reshaping global energy flows and raising costs for U.S. consumers.

For Washington, the options are grim. More sanctions? Already neutralized. Pressure on China? Ignored. Military interception? A direct confrontation with Russia—an unacceptable escalation between nuclear powers. The only remaining choice is silent acceptance of a new reality: American power has geographical and economic limits.

This is not about defending Moscow or Caracas. Both regimes pursue ruthless self-interest. Russia seeks energy leverage, military proximity to the U.S., and proof that Western coercion can be defeated. China seeks secure oil supplies insulated from U.S. naval dominance. Venezuela seeks survival.

Together, they are rewriting the rules of global power.

History shows empires rarely fall in dramatic collapse. They erode—slowly, visibly, undeniably—when their tools stop working. Sanctions were once Washington’s ultimate weapon. Today, they are being openly defied.

The Caribbean has become a new frontline in a multipolar cold war, where tankers carry more than oil—they carry the future of international order. The question now is not whether the world is changing, but whether the United States can adapt before escalation replaces restraint.

The age of uncontested dominance is over. The shockwaves have only begun.