This episode assesses intensifying global security pressures driven by concurrent crises in the Caribbean, Indo-Pacific, Middle East, and Europe, with emphasis on great-power risk management under escalation. China is shown maintaining a deliberately bounded posture toward Venezuela during Operation Southern Spear—condemning U.S. actions and safeguarding oil interests while avoiding military guarantees or direct confrontation, prioritizing regime stability and energy security over alliance cr...
All content for The LOWDOWN is the property of Joshua "HOTAS" Patten and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
This episode assesses intensifying global security pressures driven by concurrent crises in the Caribbean, Indo-Pacific, Middle East, and Europe, with emphasis on great-power risk management under escalation. China is shown maintaining a deliberately bounded posture toward Venezuela during Operation Southern Spear—condemning U.S. actions and safeguarding oil interests while avoiding military guarantees or direct confrontation, prioritizing regime stability and energy security over alliance cr...
Venezuela’s Blockade Crisis, China’s Tech Revolution, and the Reshaping of Conflict in Ukraine and the Middle East
The LOWDOWN
9 minutes
3 weeks ago
Venezuela’s Blockade Crisis, China’s Tech Revolution, and the Reshaping of Conflict in Ukraine and the Middle East
Correction: Blockade order was issued on 16 December 2025, not 17 December 2025. I. Venezuela: Blockade and Escalation The central crisis is the escalation of Operation Southern Spear, which has shifted from counter-narcotics to an overt pressure campaign against Nicolás Maduro. President Trump ordered a “total and complete blockade” of sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers, backed by a major U.S. buildup including the USS Gerald R. Ford, F-35A deployments, and roughly 15,000 personnel. Since Sep...
The LOWDOWN
This episode assesses intensifying global security pressures driven by concurrent crises in the Caribbean, Indo-Pacific, Middle East, and Europe, with emphasis on great-power risk management under escalation. China is shown maintaining a deliberately bounded posture toward Venezuela during Operation Southern Spear—condemning U.S. actions and safeguarding oil interests while avoiding military guarantees or direct confrontation, prioritizing regime stability and energy security over alliance cr...
