International media and politicians are again falling for the laziest option to explain a geopolitical occurrence. Again, as before with Iraq, Syria, and even Nigeria, most are screaming that the way to justify Washington’s strike on Venezuela is “a war for oil. The latter statement seems to flatter both cynics and partisans again. To all, it is clear that such an assessment offers a single-motive story in a world that has become stubbornly multi-causal. However, when you see Venezuela as an oil price to be taken, indicating that it is possible to switch on and pump into the global market on command, most show a total misunderstanding of both the operation and the commodity. Where people are going totally wrong is looking at the country’s perceived crude oil reserves, but as is normal in international media, forgetting that the country’s crude is not a light, sweet windfall waiting behind a palace gate.