see, this was always the potential blowback, and it's essentially the same risk that the united states has always faced in pushing down sanctions on iran - it's imperative that you work with your allies to ensure that you aren't just redirecting oil away from the mainland, and ultimately isolating yourself.

russia is at this point actively acting against us interests, but they're also a major oil exporter, which is something that the countries that the united states isolates has in common. i mean, venezuela isn't going to get very far trying to export oil to iran, right. i figured the only way out was china, but that they'd buckle eventually. china likes to push buttons, but they remain reluctant and disinterested in challenging american dictates directly. that's bound to change, eventually.

india is even more of a wildcard than china, partly because of the rivalry between them and the complicated mess in pakistan. they seem to have reacted exceedingly negatively to hillary's asia pivot, which appears to have pencilled them into a security triangle with australia and japan without asking them, first. that seems to be the moment that the indians starting pushing back, in apparent concern over their sovereignty - and they are of course a rising power that doesn't appear to be keen on being told what to do. the indians were fundamental in unravelling the iran deal, too. we still tend to see them as being under us hegemony, i guess due to america's taking over the commonwealth after wwII, but this isn't really in line with reality, any more.

there is a large indian minority in that particular subregion - the north of south america and the islands off the coast - but i'm not sure if that's really important, here. it might be.

i'll clarify a point: i meant a literal oil embargo. like, sending the navy seals in, sort of thing. the kind of thing the british used to do all of the time...

regardless, i still can't imagine this actually working. but, if the indians are beginning to align more firmly with the sco, and willing to offer venezuela a market, that could have bigger implications in the long run.

there's a difference between an india that is distant and disengaged (non-aligned) and an india that is actively hostile.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics-crude-exports/venezuela-turns-to-india-for-oil-exports-as-u-s-sanctions-bite-idUSKCN1Q12GI