Columbia Energy Exchange23 Joulu 2025

Luisa Palacios and Eddie Fishman on the US Pressure Campaign on Venezuela's Oil

Over the past week, President Trump has intensified pressure on Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro by targeting the regime's economic lifeline—oil. The United States has seized two oil tankers and is in pursuit of another, following President Trump's declaration of what he called a "total and complete blockade" of vessels carrying Venezuelan crude subject to US sanctions.

The move places one of Venezuela's most valuable and strategic assets squarely at the center of the conflict. The country holds an estimated 17 percent of the world's oil reserves and produces nearly one million barrels per day, nearly all of which is exported. Targeting these exports and the use of a naval blockade carries serious implications, raising questions about the potential for further escalation.

How is the standoff between Washington and Caracas evolving? What diplomatic or economic off-ramps—if any—remain? And what does all of this mean for global energy markets already navigating a fragile balance of supply, sanctions, and geopolitical risk?

This week, Jason Bordoff speaks with Luisa Palacios and Eddie Fishman about the Trump administration's strategy in the region.

Luisa leads the research team and is a scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy. Previously, she served as chairwoman of CITGO Petroleum Corporation, the US refining arm of Venezuela's state-owned oil company, PDVSA.

Eddie is a senior research scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy. He is the author of the bestselling book Chokepoints: American Power in the Era of Economic Warfare, which was named a finalist for the Financial Times Business Book of the Year.

Credits: Hosted by Jason Bordoff and Bill Loveless. Produced by Mary Catherine O'Connor, Caroline Pitman, and Kyu Lee. Engineering by Gregory Vilfranc.

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(100)

Doug Arent and Robin Millican on What's Really Driving Electricity Prices

Concerns about the affordability of electricity in the US have been rising along with prices. And while the headlines have pointed to AI and data centers as the underlying factors, the exact causes ar...

30 Kesä 56min

Michael Cembalest Does the Math on the Energy Transition

The energy transition is in the midst of its own transition. Spiking electricity demand and geopolitical events are driving up energy prices, while debates over the best sources of generation play out...

23 Kesä 57min

Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer on the US-Iran Deal, Hormuz Realities, and Iran's Nuclear Future

Yesterday, the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding starting the clock on a 60-day truce. The agreement intends to halt attacks, begin lifting the US naval blockade, and restore commercial...

18 Kesä 1h 2min

Iran Conflict Brief: The US-Iran Deal and a New Phase of Accommodation

The 109-day-old Iran crisis is heading toward an off-ramp in the form of a not-yet-public Memorandum of Understanding to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. While energy markets are celebrating with a sell-o...

16 Kesä 37min

Jessica Uhl on the Fractured Energy Transition: Why Speed Matters Now

The clean energy transition had real momentum at the end of 2024. It was buoyed by federal support, billions of dollars of investment in new technologies, and broad acknowledgment of the costs of clim...

9 Kesä 50min

Ashley Finan and Amy Roma on Speed, Safety, and Reforming Nuclear Energy

For years, the energy transition was discussed as a shift that would happen in steady, predictable increments. But a massive surge in electricity demand in recent years—now colliding with a fracturing...

2 Kesä 1h 1min

Katie Auth on How the 'Modern Energy Minimum' Can Drive Economic Growth

Despite all the advancements we have achieved globally in recent decades, as many as 750 million people still lack access to electricity. Tackling energy poverty requires far more than linking communi...

26 Touko 57min

Speed to Power: Christian Bruch on Siemens Energy's Turnaround

For years, the energy transition was discussed as a shift that would happen in steady, predictable increments. But the last 24 months have shattered that illusion. Energy providers now face extreme in...

19 Touko 52min