North Korea: The Unexpected Ally in Supporting Venezuela? Geopolitical Trends

Hello everybody and welcome to Geopolitical Trends, where truth matters. I'm your host, Dr. Oualaalou, excited to be with you as always. Uh, I'm gonna be addressing today in this, uh, brief analysis the developments regarding Venezuela. And I know, uh, one of the channel's members asked me a question last time during our live Q&A with the members, the session that I did And one of the questions was whether China is coming to the support of Venezuela. And this is what I intend to answer, uh, that question in this live stream here, in addition to adding the wild card, which is North Korea. So, uh, it's gonna be an interesting live stream, to say the least, because of the developments, which you always have to know where things are headed. Don't worry about what Washington is saying or the president is saying. All that stuff doesn't make any sense whatsoever. So, uh, and that's what I'm gonna be addressing in this live stream. But before I'll jump into this, let me say hi, uh, to our wonderful community as always. Leanne, good to see you. YYTT, good to see you and good morning to you as well. Oh, Arch Crusader, much appreciate your continued support. Arch, truly, truly I'm gonna call you by your screen name because that's what it is. I know Art's name separately, but I'm gonna use the screen name here. So thank you very much, Art. Truly appreciate you. You wrote, "Greetings, Dr. O. It will be interesting to know how North Korea fits in this puzzle." Indeed, that's why I wanted to do this, because there is always some angle that Washington doesn't think about. And to be exact, I'm going to share a link with you of a video that I did 2 years ago regarding the role of North Korea with Burkina Faso. Washington didn't see this. The collective West didn't see that. So, Luc Lassigné, good to see you. Say It Like It Is, as always, good to see you. Willy Homan, Farandolape, hello everyone. And Dr. O from Quebec, good to have you here. Uh, Frank Woods, good to see you. Uh, uh, Celestia, good to see you here. And Dave H, as always. Uh, who else is here? American Citizen, good to see you. Sarah Carroll, you made it to class on time, so good to see you, Sarah, as always. Uh, Minor Threat, good to see you. 782 Mars, good to see you. And Rappon Oualaalou. Good to see you as always. I have some housekeeping items for you just once again. What I'm going to be addressing in this live stream here, we will be talking about the developments of the support coming from Russia, China, uh, those are from, from especially Russia, but now I'm going to detail for you what is China's role, what is Iran's role, and what could North Korea do to add to this really some sort of— I always looked at the role of North Korea as a wild card. That's how I've always looked at it. As I said before, I'll delve deeper into this. Some housekeeping items. Remember to join me next week. It's going to be a very big week, believe it or not. I know it's Christmas. Of course, I'm not going to do any interviews or discussions during Christmas time. But on the 22nd, I will be having my monthly conversation with my, uh, two friends, uh, Dr. Warwick Bao and, uh, Einar Tangen, JD. So he's a doctor also, just a, in a legal term. So, so both Einar and Warwick will be here on the 22nd at about, I think, 7, 7:30 PM. I haven't decided time yet. I'm gonna confirm with them the time, but the date is set for the 22nd. Carl Zah will be here on the 29th. 27th. I'm sorry, that will be on the 27th, 2 days after Christmas. So that's— I just got a confirmation from him yesterday. So, and also I'm gonna have, uh, I reached out to author and historian James Bradley, and he responded to me immediately. So he's willing to come in whenever time. So we're gonna set the date and the time, which will be next week. And just go from there. So I look forward to— because you need to know the historical aspects of really this Venezuela conflict, not only in comparison to Vietnam, but James is going to provide us really some insights regarding this. So I look forward to that conversation. So headlines, I have one for you, and this one has to do with an event that took place in here in the US. Uh, this is a, a picture of Nuno Loureiro. He's an MIT physics professor. So, so what happened? He was killed. He was shot, uh, in, in, in Boston. So, uh, but that's not about him, about that. It is about, uh, when the US conducted the investigation because Israel was saying, oh, it's Iran that killed him. And the US conducted the investigation and found out that Iran has nothing to do with it. So the question becomes, will Israel apologize for accusing Iran of assassinating Nuno Loureiro? So, so the US security investigations have revealed the falsity of the Israeli government's narrative regarding the killing of the MIT nuclear energy professor Nuno Loureiro. So that's, uh, that's his picture once again. After police announced yesterday, uh, that they had found the body— or on Thursday, I'm sorry, on Thursday— that they have found the body of the, uh, they have, they have found the body of the killer who shot himself inside a storage facility, confirming that there were no indications linking the crime to Iran. So the question once again, will Israel come forward and apologize? I, I don't, I don't see that. And by the way, just FYI, who's this guy? Nuno Felipe Gomes Loureiro was a Portuguese, and his specialty in MIT— and I, I was aware of him to a degree. You kind of have to know when you work in the government, you have to know who's who. His background is in a plasma physicist. So that's why I was teaching. He's 43 years old. He was 43 years old. So he was the Herman Fishback Professor of Physics at the MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. And he was the director also of the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center, which, which he took over from '24 till his death in 2020. 5. So sad ending for the guy and his families. All right, another one which is a major one. I'm gonna share a clip with you, and this you remember I did. I'm gonna be doing more detail for you about what's going on in Europe and link it to what's going on here in the US. But take a look at this video here. I'm gonna share it, uh, with you on the screen. Uh, this is a Polish politician, uh, Mr. Bon, who tore down the European Union flag, so, and wiped it with his shoes and burned it. You'll see the image of this. This is what you call a true leader, literally. I'm gonna silence the music here because it's, you know, YouTube doesn't like this one, so we're just gonna look at what he's doing here. There's a major— there are major demonstrations right now in Europe, so, and I'm going to be addressing that for you. Wow, I'm going to stop right there. So it, it, it takes guts to do something like that. So he is one of those. So you admire somebody like that because what the EU is doing to its people, the European Union was doing to the European people, citizens, it's, it's unbelievable. So, and we have problems here at home which I'm going to be addressing for you next week. So you need to be aware of that. All right, let's move on into our analysis about what's going on in— as an update for Venezuela. As you may know, uh, President Maduro, uh, let me put his picture here for you. If I— yeah, right here. This is President Maduro, uh, uh, Nicolas Maduro. So what happened? He recently, some sort of delivered a televised speech or address, and by which he pushed back and criticized the Trump pressure campaign as warmongering. And it is so, because here is what he's saying, which you already know, aiming at seizing Venezuela's natural resources. And this is what Maduro stated, and I quote, he said that the US wants to impose a puppet government. He is right about that because who are they gonna, who are we gonna put there? Assuming, assuming we push him out and all that, we're gonna put Machado. You remember her? You know, well, she's been working with the US for decades. So, and that's what Maduro called the puppet government. So And that would only last about 47 hours of accusing Washington of seeking to turn Venezuela into a colony. So, and spot on because Maduro was right. You know, you kind of, when it's right, it's right. You can't sugarcoat it any other way. So Maduro argued that Trump's statements about Venezuela has to do with specific oil, stealing oil from Venezuela and other assets. And that in itself reveals the true motives behind the military buildup. So this is exactly what Maduro is saying. You know what? We're going to defend our sovereignty. We're going to defend our country no matter what. Of course, as you know, this within the context of the US significant military presence after deploying the air and naval forces, including the nuclear-powered submarine, the spy planes, 15,000 troops to the Caribbean, as well as conducting strikes on boats and administrations, end up killing 80 civilians. So, and this leads me to why am I doing all this for you? Because I'm doing this particular analysis to bring in the two main players, Russia and China. So, and because what Maduro stated, was after what the declaration of both countries, the Russia and China. Is this a subtle way from both, from this both country as far as support for Maduro? The answer is yes. So of course the Russians and the Chinese issued statements criticizing US intervention, you know, and at the same time, some analysts here in Washington are saying that, oh, this remains largely symbolic. No more, no less, rather than concrete, sort of with, for example, Russia providing some advanced systems, China providing some advanced systems. It doesn't work that way. It doesn't work that way. So because the argument is, well, there is no material assistance despite Maduro requesting military aid, which, by the way, was requested in October. Yeah. It is a foregone conclusion, to my knowledge, that China has no intentions and showing no signs of a military defense of Venezuela. Yeah, they might end up sharing intelligence, they might end up something into that effect. But the idea of sort of why China will go that route is because China doesn't want to jeopardize also the recent diplomatic gains it has with Washington. So to Chinese, they are weighing both sides, and I'm gonna detail each one for you, like for the Russians, the Chinese, then I'll talk about Iran and I'll talk about North Korea. Well, what's interesting about all these dynamics is that as of Thursday, there were some conversations regarding, uh, uh, uh, Nicolas Maduro's conversation with UN, uh, security, uh, Secretary General Antonio Guterres. But of course the UN, it's useless. What, are you going to count on the UN to do anything? Look, did the UN did anything about Gaza? Did the UN did anything about, uh, the, uh, the Ansarullah Houthis when the US was bombing? You know, what, what can the UN do? The UN is almost, in my opinion, I'll put it in the same position as NATO and EU, as irrelevant, as relics. Get rid of NATO, get rid of the EU, and get rid of the UN. And second, why we have it here in New York? Why don't you have it in some neutral country? And that's why there is no neutral country, because you might think Switzerland is neutral country. It is not. If you only knew what the Swiss government is doing behind the scenes. In support of the US. There is no neutrality in Switzerland. It's baloney. You know, I never trusted the Swiss government anyway. And that's why it leaves us with the option of, you know, get rid of the UN. Why you have the UN? Why do you have the UN Security Council, the 5 permanent? Some members inside the 5 permanent members do not want it anymore. So So when you have the call that took place between Maduro and the UN Secretary General, the sort of, Maduro stressed in this call that Venezuela's oil, natural resources, and land belong to its people. And emphasized, he emphasized to Guterres the role that the UN needs to play because the UN has to categorically reject these American statements, what the US is saying. But again, we know the UN is weak. It's not going to be able to do anything. So because what this amounts to, literally in modern day, what it amounts to is modern piracy, if I may use the term. So, so, and, and again, we all know how this is going to go. Moving forward. And this puts kind of the idea of the consequences for this. And that's what Guterres is saying. Well, Guterres has affirmed his commitment, meaning the UN, to international law and principles of the UN Charter. Okay, what that's going to do to the Venezuelan people? So, because he's also calling for the need to avoid any escalation. What are you gonna do about it? So that's why when you have the Secretary General of the UN pledging to follow the situation closely, it doesn't amount to anything. It's because the US already does not have a respect for the UN. Doesn't, if you notice, if there's any time UN peacekeeping forces, when they go anywhere in the world, You'll never have the US forces under that structure ever. This is why even for NATO, the commanding officer of NATO is not a European. He will always been and he will always continue till it dissolve a 4-star US general. That's just the norm. So what Guterres is saying, it's nothing but a bravado, no more, no less. And this leads me to talk about really the role of China and Russia that step in to assist Maduro against the US. And again, we're going to have, you know, don't jump quickly to saying, well, they need to send weapons. It does not work that way, unfortunately. So you have to understand because the situation is more complex. So then just the way you and I looking at it as a straightforward, no, stepping in to assist, it's very— it has to be a calculated move. So of course, both countries, Russia and China, have issued vocal support, but the actual military and economic assistance is going to be limited to a degree. So China has been now voicing even vociferously, loudly, that is. So let's look at Russia's possession. So Maduro requested help from the Russians directly through a letter that was sent to President Putin, and it's basically Maduro asking for directly, I need missiles, I need radar repairs, and I need assistance restoring Russian fighter jets. So that was straightforward. So, but at the same time, Maduro had to take into consideration what Russia is significantly facing vis-à-vis the constraints regarding its war, ongoing war with Ukraine. So you look at also Russia with the economic pressure it's under, even though its economy is moving forward, it's operating. And this is why making sort of this substantial aid in my opinion, will be unlikely. Where I see it moving forward is that Russia could provide some military assistance through a third party. So, so, and this is what happened when Maduro— you remember last August, Maduro visited Russia. So, because what happened, he left Russia without, without new loans from Russia or bilateral trade at the same time, even though trade between Russia and Venezuela reached about $1.2 billion back in 2024, to my knowledge. So, and within this context, you're gonna look at Russia expressing its support for Maduro approach, and that's why you're noticing the changes in the language. Here is what the Russians are saying, and I quote: to protect Venezuela's interests and sovereignty. So the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also noticed, stating, and I quote, continuous and deliberate escalations by the Americans. And of course, this sort of language suggests that the possibility for Russia to step in is there. It just might not be the right time right now. And what led me to this conclusion? One particular action by the Russians. And that action is, is that the Russian— the Russians ratified a strategic partnership treaty with Venezuela and stated that it will help Venezuela. And here is the key word: overcome any threats. Read between the lines. Russians are very shrewd. They understand how the global dynamics operate. They're not going to come openly like this and say, we're going to send missiles. No, no, no, no, no. Doesn't work that way. So of course, to the Russians, they decide to keep the actual scope of assistance very, very ambiguous and unclear. Because Washington will not know what kind of assistance are we talking about here. And this is why, as of today, Russia continues to make military diplomacy through limited exchanges and some sort of equipment deliveries. There are deliveries out there. So like, for example, I was aware of one delivery of the, uh, the opening of an ammunition factory which opened in July. Of course, a military aircraft, transport aircraft, landed in Caracas. So it's just— we're going to see it differently from China's perspective. China's Foreign Ministry reaffirmed Beijing's backing of Venezuela. Of course, China has an interest, strategic interest, in ensuring the stability of Venezuela so it can have access to energy, oil, that is. But this appears largely some sort of rhetorical, if I may use the term. So because most of the reporting and that I had a chance to read indicated, in my opinion, that China is kind of doesn't want to jeopardize this recent diplomatic gains with Washington. 'Cause it will work to its benefit because we're gonna— China is looking already for next year, how it's gonna be vis-à-vis the relations with the US. We already looking what the US is doing in South China Sea, in the Taiwan Strait. You look at what Japan is doing. You look at now North Korea and itself threatening the Americans for deploying an aircraft carrier for some joint exercises with South Korea. So to the Chinese, they're gonna have to be thinking strategically. That's why they're going to be very, very particular about how they're going to word this specific— that's why they are not going to take aggressive steps in defending Maduro militarily, so to speak. So because when you look at the language of the Chinese statements, for example, China condemned all unilateral actions as bullying moves. Once again, read between the lines. And this particular— we all know who the message is intended for. This is regarding Trump's pressure on Venezuela. So, and that's what the Chinese Foreign Ministry declared, so that all countries in defend the support— that China supports all countries in defending their sovereignty and dignity. That's also a subtle message from China to the rest of the world regarding Taiwan. You know, China is hitting two birds with one stone. We're gonna send a message regarding our support for Venezuela, but also going to make it clear for the rest of the world that this defense of sovereignty that all countries are entitled to, that applies also for us vis-à-vis Taiwan. And this is why the Chinese Foreign Minister, Mr. Wang Yi, argued— and I remember him stating this one, and I'm just paraphrasing here, as just if I forget a word or two, that'd be okay— but when he argued at the time that a mutual trust and supports our tradition, our tradition in bilateral relations between Venezuela and China. So, so he also added, and I— this what took me by surprise at that time during his statement, is that China and Venezuela are strategic partners. You remember what I said yesterday about Mexico, how it's shooting itself in the foot because Latin America is moving in the strategic direction with Asia headed by China, while Mexico is following the US. So, and this is exactly what Mr. Wang Yi once again is a subtle message, uh, that is, uh, uh, uh, sending, uh, to the Americans but also for the US. Now this leads me talk about the role of Iran. So of course many didn't— you don't hear much about this one here. But Iran is already involved in sending hardware. So here is what happened. Iran and Venezuela coordinated the delivery of military equipment and drones from Iran. So, and as a matter of fact, Venezuela requested from Iran long-range drones of about 1,000 kilometers. They also added one other demand on the list, and that was GPS jamming devices. Now, one thing I do not know for a fact is the exact types of drones. However, doing my own research, I got an idea, and I'm gonna share pictures with you. If anybody knows the exact type of the drones delivered to Venezuela from Iran, please share it with the community. So, and this is why Iran sort of provides certain tangible assistance, but the scale of it, to what level, is unclear. Of course, it has to be that way. So, so And this is where you look at now all three countries: Iran, China, and Russia, all in coordination supporting Venezuela, opposing the United States intervention. So of course, as an analyst, I will always be putting that big question mark regarding their— meaning China, Russia, Iran— their actual military support, whether it is modest or not. So because as of now, based on what we know, the declaration of solidarity is there rather than a coordinated defense strategy. So I'm going to share some pictures with you regarding some drones that I am aware of. So this is you looking at the, uh, Uh, this one here, it's by the IRGC. That's the 2023, which was developed, which was, uh, released to the public knowledge as far— the IRGC Aerospace Force, uh, coordination. That's one of their particular drones. The other one that I am aware of, it has to do with this Iranian Shahid, drones. So the one that I am really surprised about is this one right here. Now this one, this is the new Hadid 110 stealth suicide drones, and this was from imagery that was picked up by the Israelis. This is once again why the Israelis have to think now twice about really attacking Iran again. The other one that I am, uh, uh, aware of, it was, I think, the Shahid, uh, 121, if I am not mistaken. Yeah. And by the way, those ones you're looking at right here, okay, this is the shimokh, which is a Persian word derived from Middle Persians. So which was, if you know the history a little bit, was— it was a benevolent bird in the Persian mythology. So, and it's designed, by the way, it's designed— the, the Shimrokh is called Shimurgh— is a reverse engineer of the US RQ-170. The only difference with this one here is that it has multiple unknown variants. And one of which has been modified now to play a role of the UCAV, which is usually armed with 4 missiles. This is again where I am seeing, uh, where the difference here regarding the designs that Iran— which one? And this is the one, the Shahed-171. This is the advanced ones too. And I don't know, you know, I don't know conclusively what type of drones Iran provided Venezuela. All I know is that it was some deliveries. So that's what I'm saying for our community. If there is anyone who is 100% sure of what type of drones, please share it with the community because that's what we want to do here, uh, because all those, you know, of course, for something like this, more advanced, what are the, uh, likelihood that Iran will send this one? I don't know. It's, it's because there is no confirmation to this, so I don't want to speculate. With stuff like this, you can speculate. If you know it, you state it. If you don't Don't. You can just, you know, it can be stated, but said, you know what, not confirmed, to make sure, to make sure. But to my knowledge, the Iranians are operating this particular type of drones. They are. So which one they were sent to Venezuela, I cannot confirm that. Liking this video so far? Don't just be a watcher. Go ahead and hit the like, share, and subscribe button, and don't forget to tap the bell so you will not miss any of my videos or live streams. This way you will be supporting a channel that stands for the truth and objective reporting. The choice is yours. Thanks for your support. Now this leads us— of course I'm going to talk about the significance of this announcement by all of those three countries. And I'm gonna, I'm gonna talk about North Korea. But for now, talk about Russia, China, Iran, you know, what message it is sending to the US. Because this is not, you know, one thing in the global geopolitical landscape, every government where it embarks on a particular action, there is always an underlying message to that. So the announcements, in my opinion, are significant in several ways. So of course there will be those critics who are going to say, well, wait a minute, Dr. O, the actual military impact is limited. I am not denying that. Yeah, I'm not denying it, but at the same time, I am not concluding that it will never be. So So at least for the message that's being sent is that now the joint backing from China, Iran, and Russia sends that clear geopolitical signal. Once again, guys, always please see the big picture. The geopolitical signal that the message is, it has to do with that, with, uh, with sort of the indication that the United States doesn't have a complete free hands in the Western Hemisphere as it once did. Because look at it, the Russian ratification of the Strategic Partnership Treaty with Venezuela, the statements that it will help Venezuela overcome any threats. This, in my opinion, represents a formal sort of escalation commitment on part of the Russians. Even, even if we are to say, well, even if the concrete backing remains some sort of limited or modest. Yeah, I know this, but at the same time, this demonstrates these powers are willing, meaning Russia, China, Iran, are willing to challenge what has been historically considered as America's regional sphere of influence, which was at some point in history. We're not going to deny this. You know, we all— you all know about the Monroe Doctrine, you know, but it's dead in my opinion, even though some in Washington saying, oh, it's still well, live and well. So, so there is also what these announcements, the message also sending, it signals to the US that the US, you know, those who will challenge it. So particularly those facing American pressure, that backing exists from other major powers. It is partly, in my opinion, a deterrent message. So the US isn't acting unopposed. This is why, you know what's going on, which next week I will do for you an analysis about the Europeans, what's what's going on. There's a conversation right now in Europe about, is it time to start looking for another security umbrella? Of course, are you going to trust what the Europeans saying? But at the same time, the fact that they are voicing this says a lot. And this is why, uh, when I have a conversation with the author and historian James Bradley, we're going to be addressing the dimensions of this aspect, not only comparing to Vietnam, which I will talk about briefly here because I want to have James deal with detail all this since he's a historian. So he will have a much sort of better understanding historically speaking, addressing this. And this is part of where that importance of understanding where these dynamics are moving. Okay, now comes the big elephant in a room. I always call it the wild card, North Korea. Uh, to those who have— I don't know, about 2 years ago, yeah, 2 years ago, I did a video about North Korea in supporting Burkina Faso. I'm gonna put a link for you in the chat box. I highly urge you to take a look at this video. So I'm gonna put it in the chat box for you right there. So And I think that video had about almost over 200,000 views because everybody was like, what are you talking about, Dr. Oualaalou? Of course they didn't expect it because nobody saw it coming. And I argued about the unexpected ally. That's what I'm seeing happening here. So, so now let's talk about North Korea because its role, it's not going to be as you may expect. North Korea is going to send its missiles. No, no, no, no, no, doesn't work that way. Because in my assessment, North Korea is unlikely to directly provide some sort of advanced military hardware or missiles to Venezuela. Of course, like China, like Russia, like Iran, even Iran went ahead with the delivery of drones It, it, it, it expressed its vocal support. So why? Because you have to understand the historical ties between the two countries, Venezuela and North Korea. You also have to understand that the current stance of North Korea vis-à-vis the conflict was going on. So North Korea and Venezuela, of course, established— does anybody— this question for you, just trivia question. Does anybody know why year did Venezuela and North Korea establish diplomatic relations? So let me just see in the chat box if you happen to know. So, and once again, we're just learning from each other here, no more, no less. Let me see if anybody can guess it, if you happen to know. I know there's a, there's a delay here, it doesn't show up. Time here. So, okay, it's not coming up here. I gotta move on. Oh, oh, Kolkhaman, 1980. No, before that. It was before that. I'll do one more. The question was, what year did North Korea and Venezuela establish diplomatic relations? There was one specific year. That was the question. Uh, uh, Calmo, 1972. No, before that. Think about the era of Vietnam War. So, okay, let's move on. 1965, crucial year. Think about it. So since that time, the relationship between the two countries have gradually improved, especially under the late Hugo Chavez and of course the current one, Nicolás Maduro. So what happened? Because both countries share a common enemy. And who is the enemy? The United States. They are critical of them. And what happened in 2013? In 2013, North Korean ambassador warned that if the United States government dare to engage in a military attack on Venezuela, North Korea will assist Venezuela. And the two party, meaning North Korea and Venezuela at that time, created a friendship group of Venezuela with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea or DPRK. My point is that there is the underlying, the silver underlying into these statements by North Korea. So except you're not going to see it openly and there is other reason for that of what North Korea now is dealing with, which I will get into in a point here. So the recent support from North Korea, North Korea recognized Maduro's victory during the elections in 2024. Remember, there were disputed presidential elections. North Korea was the first, in addition to the Chinese, I think, and the Russians. I don't know about Iran whether they did or not, but I'm sure they have done. And in August of this year, 2025 through November, reports mentioning Venezuela, sort of, and the Caribbean in the north Korea's top newspapers, meaning they were mentioned in their kind of bilateral relations and so forth. So, and this is where you have to think in terms, uh, why is this important? So of course, I'm not denying there are practical limitations, but like the same arguments I made when I made the video about the unexpected ally of Burkina Faso, which was North Korea. When I did that video back then, that was the same arguments I made. Nobody saw it. I'm seeing the same pattern here. So of course there are the practical limitations. So, so of course North Korea is not going to replace China's monetary role in supporting Venezuela because North Korea's economy is not comparable to that of China. It's common sense. What North Korea can do when it makes the decision, it can provide Venezuela with advanced military technology because North Korea has it. So, and that knowledge in itself will be sufficient enough for Venezuela to really get— stand on its feet, militarily speaking. So But still, even with that, the North Korean support to Venezuela will remain limited in comparison to that of either Russia, China, Iran. So, but especially Russia and China. So the broader context of this. So when we think the big picture, and like I said earlier, you're going to have to think in terms of what North Korea is dealing with. Right now. North Korea's defense minister, his name is Ri Kwang Choe. My apologies if I mispronounced. So what's important about the defense minister is that he has condemned the arrival of the United States aircraft carrier at a port in South Korea. And North Korea issued a warning that, that Pyongyang will take more offensive action against its enemies. So this is what's important to understand as to how far North Korea is going to go vis-à-vis supporting Venezuela, because there are also issues next door. And he needs to take care of that. Why? Because North Korea never ever trusted the South Koreans or the American presence there or the Japanese for that matter. So this is what the big picture that I need you to, to understand. And within this, to have a better understanding, and I'm going to conclude with this, the why it matters. Despite the military, limited military aid. Why this matters when you look at these four countries: Iran, China, Russia, and North Korea. Why it matters? Because in geopolitics, of course, the military dimensions of it play a major role, but also you cannot ignore the diplomatic how symbolic that can be. It's because sometimes the diplomatic dimension or the diplomatic venture weigh in more than you can even imagine. Because the weight of these diplomatic initiatives, it's considerable when it comes down to assessing the big picture, geopolitically speaking. So even though Russia, for example, faces significant constrained due to its, the war that's going on with Ukraine and so forth. So substantial aid unlikely, militarily speaking. So, but the public commitment, that's the key word, still carries weight. So it tells Maduro, it tells the Venezuelan people that the Maduro government, it's not diplomatically isolated. But also will complicate matters for the US action by raising the potential for international escalation. So, so, so for the limitations, no matter how you look at it, so the message has a real limit. I am not denying this. So you look at also about China's role. While it might appear reluctant to risk its diplomatic gain, So, so it's Chinese are thinking strategically for this. So Iran assistance is in a different angle. So when you look at that triangle, Russia, Iran, China, or China, Russia, Iran, or what have you. So when you look at the big picture of this is modest in scope, where we understand that, but the announcement in itself is is more about positioning and deterrence than a coordinated military intervention, as I mentioned earlier. So, so, and this leads me to the final question here, which I will address in detail with James Bradley when he's here next week, but I am gonna just briefly touch on it. If the US invade Venezuela, will Venezuela become another Vietnam? Of course it is a complex question. The comparability is even— while it might be there, but it's different because that will depend on several factors. So what I'm going to be sharing with you, just the basics, because I don't want to take this away from, uh, James Bradley, because I want to talk to him about this one. One thing that I know for a fact is it will be a nightmare, a quagmire for the US. So Because the comparison to Vietnam, to me, in my opinion, is important. Of course, there are differences, you know, the timing and what have you. So even when you ask military experts, because they view now largely the US invasion is unlikely, but if it happened, hypothetically here, the parallels to past, you know, black mire of Vietnam are, are sort of striking. So, and this is why, why it could become— invading Venezuela could become another Vietnam. As a matter of fact, Maduro himself said to Trump, you do not want another Vietnam here. So the core issue is that Venezuela's military doctrine, which by the way This morning, to my knowledge, military in Venezuela have been put on the highest alert. The fighters, the fighter jets, and everybody in the military is on the high alert. That tells me they are ready. So, but when you look at Venezuela's military doctrine, it has been designed to create potential political and a military quagmire by using their own geography, by using space for time, and at the same time turning the geography of Venezuela— that means the city, the jungles, and what have you— into some sort of prolonged guerrilla warfare, like exactly what we had in Iraq. You all remember Fallujah, right? Couldn't defeat those groups. We had the same in Afghanistan, same in Somalia. So, and this is what the doctrine in Venezuelan military, to those who aren't familiar with it, it has this particular capacity and ability to turn an invasion like that into a prolonged guerrilla battleground. So, so, and that will make the politically unsustainable control of the country. So Venezuela's strategy, which is known, by the way, to those who are familiar, as I said again, with the doctrine, in Spanish it is called Guerra del Toro del Pueblo, People's War, Guerra de Todo el Pueblo. People's war. And why is this came into the doctrine of Vietnam— of Venezuela? Because it was inspired by the Vietnamese tactics. And that in itself aims at blurring the boundaries between society and the battlefield by relying on population participation in prolonged resistance. So the practical challenges for the US are substantial. And I'm talking to you based on experience. I'm talking based on what I've seen on the field, on the ground, in Afghanistan, in Yemen, in Iraq, in parts of Africa. Venezuela is roughly twice the size of Iraq. It has mountains, it has jungles, and it has a density— densely populated urban areas. So, so even if I am to go with the scenario that the US could capture Caracas, controlling the entire country will be a huge undertaking. American forces will be quickly— yeah, they will quickly achieve the air dominance. Okay. They will also be able to sort of shred the conventional forces of Venezuela. But air power itself cannot control or compel an overall control of a country this large. Look what happened in Afghanistan with all the mighty air power we had. Did we defeat the Taliban? So, so because what Venezuela did in this doctrine is to ensure that this, this sort of, uh, if, if there's an invasion It will be faced with fractured, fractured country. You can't control it in its entirety. So the real war, the real war, in my opinion, will begin only after the skies are quiet. And this is something I do not know if Mr. Trump understands or not. And I didn't even talk about the insurgency problem or challenge yet, because we faced them in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and in Yemen, and we couldn't defeat them. So resistance will include pro-Maduro militias, which called colectivos, those who are familiar. And this, you're looking at over 1,000. Yeah, you might think 1,000 is nothing. Hardened Colombian guerrilla based in Venezuela. You look at also civilians who are trained and armed by the government. So even though you think about what the US military technology is superior, yes, it is. Yeah, urban, in my experience, urban warfare in the dense cities will nullify some of these advantages the US has. And frankly, to be frank with you, any invasion would likely turn segments of the population that oppose Maduro against the US. Why? Because they all gonna unite around national sovereignty. This is what we have failed to understand in Afghanistan and Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, or even Vietnam back then. So, and the last thing will be the international complications to something like this. So as a matter of fact, it was a memo inside the US National Security Council, the NSC. So, and that in itself, I think it gets declassified because I had a chance to look at it when it was, uh, what's the word, wasn't classified, it was sensitive use only. Uh, it described at that time The scenario, and I put this in quotes because I have to keep it for you too, so you know, "Guacamaya that would become a cause célèbre for criminal or illegal armed groups in the Americas." And that in itself, by the way, will draw in jihadist-style fighters against US forces. So the bottom line, the bottom line, the big picture of all this, and I'm going to end with this, experts military analyst, foreign affairs, geopolitical, or what have you, even academia, and even ideological ones from all spectrums, all of them agree that this will be a protracted, yeah, protracted, costly, and politically difficult undertaking to sustain. Particularly when you consider a recent poll in the United States showed 70% of the American people oppose military action in Venezuela. So yeah, Vietnam style, the guacamaya is the concern that as an analyst I will voice, though it is important to note one particular thing, that a full invasion remains widely considered unlikely rather than imminent. What do you think? Make sure to leave me a comment in the comment section. I would greatly appreciate it. Ah, that's all I have to share with you. I always like when I do analysis, I'm done, then I'm done. That's it. So, uh, just quickly, I want to take this opportunity to once again, uh, say thank you to, to Arch Crusader for your continued support, uh, for the channel and its content. I know, uh, you all know the type of content you are consuming here. You all know the value you are getting from this analysis that I've been doing for you. So I would greatly appreciate if you could take the initiative to support the channel should you decide to do that. And of course, choice is yours. Here's the link if you want to support the channel, and I'm gonna put it in the, uh, in the chat box for you guys, and I will greatly appreciate it. I also want to let you know about my upcoming Asia trip. So, so far, uh, you Here is where we are. You know, I'm looking at an aim at— because I have not just one location to go to. So here is the funding, the target funding for this. So far we are at about 4% because we just started it. I would greatly appreciate if you wanted to support my upcoming Asia trip. And again, this is not about tourism, and you all know this. This is about reporting the facts for you because I want to debunk all the lies that have been, uh, sort of, uh, uh, uh, propagated, uh, by Western media here because truth matters, as I always say. So let me put the link for you in the chat box for those who wants to, uh, support my upcoming, uh, Asia trip. And once again, greatly appreciate your kind support for them. All right, that's all I have to share with you. Thank you for being here, truly appreciate you, and I look forward to seeing you next week. I'll be working on some stories for you. Just be, be, uh, uh, uh, or remember— I'm sorry, remember that I will be having my conversation on the 22nd with Anna Tengen, and I'll be having a conversation with Karza on the 27th. And, uh, for James Bradley, uh, I'm gonna decide, reach out to him again to confirm the dates and time, and I will let you know. So as always, hope you enjoyed it, and I look forward to seeing you next time. As always, remember, geopolitics impacts your daily life in more ways than one. Till next time, bye-bye.