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PaperclipPerfector  12d ago (text post)   24160 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of December 29, 2025

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And he did it at almost no cost.

This strikes me as likely, but it's too early to know for sure. In the off change Venezuela goes even more to shit, there will be a "you break it you bought it" situation of bad publicity

Trump wanted a big legacy-defining move, like buying Greenland, and this time he got it.

Unless the country implodes, which is unlikely, or the country does a total 180° and becomes a functional western democracy+economy, which is even less likely, there will be no legacy here for Trump lmao

The regime of a shithole country will be more friendly to the USA, the cartels will still move drugs around, and maybe marginally more oil will be available on the world market if Venezuela manages to pump more?

the United States took over Venezuela in a matter or hours at minimal cost

No it didn't. It blew some shit up and then did a helicopter insertion to kidnap the head of state. This was very cool, and absolutely not "taking over a country" as that requires occupation.

He alluded that "something needs to be done" about the Mexican cartels. Destroying them would be a true legacy-maker.

Agreed, but good luck with this one

In the off change Venezuela goes even more to shit, there will be a "you break it you bought it" situation of bad publicity

Good news here is Venezuela doesn't have all that far to fall. It would be worse if fractured into civil war, but it doesn't look like the preconditions were there.

Yeah that's why I ranked it low likelihood lol

I could see some kind of Cartel coup leading to a situation proximate to Haiti, but 1) I think the country was already somewhat in the pocket of the cartels 2) the cartels seem to have more state capacity than Haitian gangs (bar is so low it's in the earth's core).

  1. the cartels seem to have more state capacity than Haitian gangs (bar is so low it's in the earth's core).

I think you've just explained Earth's magnetic field -- the bar for Haitian state capacity is a literal magnet.

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