United States, swallowing Venezuela's oil... The birth of an "energy empire" and Bitcoin's counterattack

The morning of the first Sunday of 2026 brings a shock to the Korean dream. News reports that U.S. special forces have arrested Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and transported him to the United States itself. If this is merely seen as a crackdown on a “drug lord dictator” to punish evil and promote good, then it is a misjudgment. The essence of this event is that the U.S. has taken control of the world’s largest single energy reserve—the Venezuelan oil with proven reserves of 300.3 billion barrels—this “geopolitical event.”

This is indeed a chilling bill. 18% of the world’s oil reserves have fallen under U.S. control overnight. Based on the current oil price (57 USD per barrel), this underground asset is worth approximately 1.73 trillion USD, or about 2.4 quadrillion Korean won. This exceeds the combined GDP of all countries worldwide except the U.S. and China, and is four times the size of the Japanese economy. The U.S. has now surpassed a mere hegemonic power and built an unparalleled “Energy Fortress America.”

◇ The End of the ‘Petrodollar,’ the Beginning of the ‘AI Empire’

We must calmly face this situation. This is not a replay of 20th-century oil wars. What the U.S. is plotting may be the permanent rule of an “AI (Artificial Intelligence) Hegemony.”

Today, Silicon Valley’s biggest concern is “power shortages.” Running AI data centers requires enormous amounts of electricity, and energy supply has always been a bottleneck for technological development. However, by controlling the largest oil valve in the Western Hemisphere, the U.S. has solved this bottleneck in one fell swoop. The era of “petrodollars” dependent on Middle Eastern oil is over. The ruthless era of “tech dollars”—combining U.S. military force, Venezuelan oil, and American AI technology—has begun.

◇ Fear in the Face of ‘Physical Force’ and Bitcoin

So, in the face of this massive “physical storm,” will Bitcoin, as a digital asset, lose its footing? The market is moving in the opposite direction.

After Maduro’s arrest, Bitcoin, which once oscillated to 89,300 USD, has strongly rebounded to the 90,000 USD mark. Witnessing the U.S. kidnapping foreign presidents and effectively nationalizing their resources, global capitalists have instead deeply felt the necessity of “decentralization.”

Imagine this: if opposing the U.S., even the president can be arrested, and national energy can be confiscated. Any asset with a “physical entity” is powerless before force. But even the U.S. military’s Delta Force cannot seize Bitcoin’s private keys. As the U.S. strengthens the “dollar” by controlling Venezuelan oil, Bitcoin, through mathematics and code, is becoming the only refuge to protect “personal property.”

◇ The Coming ‘72 Hours of Destiny’

Tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. Korea time (Sunday at 6 p.m. U.S. local time), the global crude oil futures market will open. This is the first moment reflecting the reality of the U.S. controlling 18% of the world’s oil in the price. Oil prices will undoubtedly fluctuate wildly, but the true decisive point lies beyond that.

In January 2026, the empire completed the construction of the “Energy Fortress.” The more it relies on overwhelming force to reorganize the order, the more capital seeking freedom outside control will flock to Bitcoin, this “digital ark.”

In times of geopolitical crisis, where is your asset? Is it in a U.S.-controlled bank account, or on an untouchable blockchain? For the heavy question posed by the Venezuelan situation, we only have 72 hours left to answer.