AncientEyes

In my opinion, Russiagate was a fraud and a hoax. However, I do not view "the Deep State" is a monolithic entity. I believe there are various factions and interests, some more in common with others, and it's never clear in the shadowy netherworld of intelligence and intrigue. What we see on the media are the figureheads and cartoon cutouts - the Ted Lieus, the Adam Schiffs, the Muellers, the Maddows, etc. In my opinion, the Trump election reflects a slight conflict precisely within the 'Deep State' factions. The neoliberal establishment that has long since reigned does not like Trump for various reasons, including likely his geopolitical opinions. The Russiagate narrative served to vilify Russia has the number enemy. Unfortunately, most in the American ruling class were and still are asleep to the fact that the greatest geopolitical rival and threat to the U.S. actually comes from China, not Russia. Former candidates like Mitt Romney are completely oblivious to the geopolitical tectonic shifts that are currently underway that will determine the fate of the 21st century. Russiagate did a whole lot of nothing, but the lasting effect of Russiagate has been online censorship of mostly right-leaning personalities who dare questioned the official media narrative. Social media sites have largely silenced or banned those who did not necessarily tow the main line. Russiagate will soon be in the public memoryhole, but you can bet the censorship tactics of most of the social media corporations will remain intact. Although I do not agree with Trump on most items, he was correct to see China as the true geopolitical rival to the U.S. and his (at least) verbal overtures to woo Russia could be viewed as an attempt to mend ties with Russia. If the U.S. has any hope of trying to stay relevant not just as a superpower but as a country, it will need to realize the reality and court proper alliances on the grand chessboard, especially Russia.

Essentially this. It's sad but true. If the U.S. does not use force, then it may well be the most anticlimactic and humorous diplomatic defeat to add on top of the list of the ones mentioned. Trump is too vain, egoic and psychopathic to notice the nuances of geopolitics. I don't want to find out how miscalculating he can be on the world stage.

I think this maybe escalation of the geopolitical tidal waves that are leading to bigger moves on the grand chessboard. I don't see the U.S. is so much as being interested in the oil that Venezuela has for its own, but rather, to ward off potential competitors - in this case, Russia and China. The grand chessboard appears to be a lot like turf war between different mob groups - U.S., EU, China and Russia - all vying for a bigger slice of the pie. If the U.S. can have some energy choke points, it figures it still may have an advantage over China and Russia. There was a time when no one would dare go against the U.S. and sell oil to sanctioned countries. Times are changing, as the wealth of the world has moved East, along with the geopolitical center of gravity. If a few don't go along, other parties may be emboldened or galvanized to. Even if most adhere to the U.S. order, the fact that a few don't is already telling. Bit by bit, the status of the petrodollar is increasingly chipped away in a death by a thousand cuts. By warding off competitors, it is also an attempt to maintain the petrodollar paradigm. The question then is, if the U.S. cannot get its way through 'diplomatic' dictations, will it revert to force? And if so, will other major powers respond? If so, in what ways? If they respond, then depending on their geopolitical standing, they may go tit for that, or raise the stakes. Unfortunately for humanity, when world orders change, it is never pretty, and there is usually never a peaceful transition between the ages. Change of world orders usually leads to world wars.