PODCAST (MEINUNG|KOMMENTAR): WARUM GREIFEN DIE USA UNTER TRUMP VENEZUELA AN?

Venezuela (Quelle: pixabay.com; 

OpenClipart-Vectors)

Die Vereinigten Staaten unter Präsident Donald Trump haben jetzt endgültig in Venezuela militärisch eingegriffen. Schon seit einigen Monaten (mindestens) hat sich eine Eskalation der Spannungen angedeutet.

Dabei wurden am 03.01.2026 Präsident Nicolás Maduro und seine Ehefrau Cilia Flores gefangengenommen.

Die Reaktionen sind international und in beiden Amerikas unterschiedlich.
Die Reaktionen in Europa sind wie gewohnt bürokratisch.

Otto Skorzeny an der Oder, Februar 1945 (Wikipedia)

Die Aktion zeigt, wie man mit Handstreich-Aktionen im Stile eines Otto Skorzeny (genannt "James Bond der Waffen-SS" oder "Hitlers James Bond") Fakten schaffen kann, während die anderen nur reden. Man denke nur an die Befreiung Mussolinis (Unternehmen Eiche) oder an den gescheiterten Versuch, Josip Broz Tito zu entführen oder zu töten (Unternehmen Rösselsprung).
Heute ist die Ortung von Zielpersonen mit Hilfe der digitalen Kommunikationsnetze für Groß- und Supermächte noch einfacher.

Die Welt in/auf den Händen (Quelle: pixabay.com; stokpic)

Aber warum tut Trump das?

Man könnte natürlich wieder eine idealistische Begründung bemühen und den Kampf für Freiheit und Menschenrechte anführen.
Maduro war in der Tat ein autoritärer Herrscher. Trotzdem glauben selbst naive Menschen nicht mehr an eine Argumentation mit Freedom, Democracy, Human Rights usw.

Man tut stattdessen gut daran, eine realistische Begründung (Macht generell) oder eine materialistische Begründung (wirtschaftliche Macht) zu finden.
Dazu sind einige Punkte anzuführen:

1. Die USA greifen Venezuela an, weil sie Kontrolle über seine Ölvorkommen wollen.
   Venezuala verfügt über sehr viel Öl (ca. 17 % der weltweiten Reserven) und dazu noch über Ölsorten (z. B. schweres und extra-schweres Rohöl), die die USA haben wollen.
2. Venezuela verfügt auch über große Erdgasvorkommen. 
3. Es geht aber nicht nur um Öl und Erdgas. Das wäre zu einfach.
   Venezuela hat viele weitere Bodenschätze zu bieten, darunter Gold, Bauxit, Eisen, Coltan und Diamanten.
4. Im Zuge der zunehmenden Elektromobilität geht es nicht mehr nur um Öl, sondern auch um Lithium. Dies findet sich zwar nicht oder kaum in Venezuala, aber durch das Land führen Routen zum weiter südlich liegenden "Lithium-Dreieck" zwischen Bolivien, Chile und Argentinien.
5. Wichtig ist zu wissen, dass die USA ihre Claims (Macht-/Besitzansprüche) abstecken wollen, bevor China das tun kann und will (Faktor Boden + Faktor Zeit!).
6. Wichtig ist auch, dass die USA seit Jahren über ein großes Haushaltsdefizit verfügen, das sie nur dadurch halbwegs "austarieren" können, dass sie in ihrer eigenen Währung verschuldet sind und sich bedingt daraus "herausdrucken" können.
   Das geht aber nur so lange, wie der Dollar (und der sog. "Petrodollar") die Leitwährung ist.
   (Anm.: 
   Als
    Petrodollar bezeichnet man (halboffiziell) die US-Dollar-Einnahmen erdölexportierender Länder durch den Verkauf von Rohöl. Der globale Handel wird hauptsächlich in Dollar abgerechnet. Dieses System hat seit den 1970er Jahren die globale Finanzordnung geprägt und die Nachfrage nach dem US-Dollar künstlich erhöht (Weltreservewährung). Erdöl wird pro Barrel (159 Liter) in Dollar notiert, was den ölproduzierenden Nationen enorme Dollarbestände einbringt, die oft in westliche Finanzmärkte reinvestiert werden (Petrodollar-Recycling).
   Schon 1991 war das ein Grund für den US-Angriff auf den Irak: Saddam Hussein hatte nicht nur illegal Kuweit besetzt, sondern auch mit dem Gedanken gespielt, sich seinen Öl-Export in anderer Währung bezahlen zu lassen.
   Bei Muammar al-Gaddafi war es ähnlich.
7. Ein wichtiger Zusatzpunkt:
   Trump will mit solchen außenpolitischen Erfolgen von seiner verfahrenen Innen- und Wirtschaftspolitik ablenken. 

Risiken dieser Politik:

Diese Politik ist zum einen moralisch fragwürdig - zumal man Russland und China ähnliche "Schweinereien" vorhält.
Sie ist aber auch gefährlich, weil sie ein schlechtes Vorbild abgeben kann: Russland kann sich in seinem Angriff auf die Ukraine bestätigt fühlen und diesen noch intensivieren, China kann sich zu einem Angriff auf oder einer Blockade von Taiwan ermutigt fühlen. Bis spätestens 2049 will die VR Taiwan unter Kontrolle haben (eher früher, bis vielleicht 2030 oder noch früher) und Weltmacht Nr. 1 sein.

Temple of Heaven (Quelle: pixabay.com; j(oe)plenio)

Die Konkurrenzsituation zu China:

China hat längerfristig eigentlich die besseren Karten:

• es verfügt über mehr Menschen verfügt - rund 1,5 Mrd., die allerdings nicht alle ethnische Han sind
• Chinesen arbeiten im Schnitt mehr (aber auch dort entsteht eine Freizeitkultur) 
• es setzt wirtschaftlich sehr auf Produktion und Export und weniger auf "windige Branchen" (Voodoo-Ökonomie) wie IT-Spielereien, Finanz-Abzockerei oder Entertainment wie die USA;
  das soll nicht heißen, dass die US-Wirtschaft nur so aufgebaut ist - nur setzen sich diese Branchen immer mehr gegenüber den produktiven Branchen durch

China hat aber auch einige Nachteile bzw. schlechtere Karten:

• China ist geostrategisch "eingekreister", während die USA in Nordamerika mit Kanada fast eine "Kontinental-Insel" bilden
• China hat nicht nur mehr Nachbarn als die USA, sondern wird von diesen auch noch argwöhnisch betrachtet (z. B. Japan, Taiwan, die Philippinen, Vietnam [Krieg erst 1978!], Indien [Krieg 1962]);
  auch mit Russland hat China viele Krieg geführt, derzeit halten beide Länder nur zusammen, um eine US-Übermacht auszubalancieren
• China versucht, dieser Einkreisung durch die Neue Seidenstraße bzw. BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) seit 2013 entgegenzuwirken
• China muss außerdem aufpassen, dass es keinen zu starken Geburtenrückgang der Han-Chinesen gibt

 

James Monroe (Quelle: Wikipedia; John Vanderlyn)

Weiteres US-Vorgehen:

... in Mittel- und Südamerika:

Da die Maßnahmen gegenüber Venezuela zu fruchten scheinen, könnte die US-Regierung motiviert sein, ihre Kontrolle über Mittel- und Südamerika weiter zu verstärken.
Im 19. Jhd. sprach man von der Monroe-Doktrin, in der die USA den Anspruch über BEIDE Amerikas erhoben haben und gleichzeitig forderten, dass sich die europäischen Kolonialmächte (v. a. Spanien in Mittel- und Südamerika und England in Nordamerika, aber auch Portugal, Frankreich und die Niederlande) aus der Politik beieder amerikanischer Kontinente heraushalten.
Diese Monroe-Doktrin geht auf eine Rede von Präsident James Monroe von 1823 vor dem Kongress zurück und diente als Entwurf einer langfristigen US-Außenpolitik.
Dies geschah vor dem Hintergrund, dass sich viele europäische Kolonien in Nord- und Südamerika gerade erst von ihren Mutterländern emanzipiert hatten.
Die Monroe-Doktrin formulierte Prinzipien wie "two spheres", "non-intervention" und "non-colonization". Einige ihrer Aussagen waren am Anfang noch recht allgemein, sie wurde aber im Laufe des 19. Jhd.s mehrfach verschärft. Aus kritischer Sicht könnte man sagen, dass ihre anfänglich anti-imperialistische Stoßrichtung (gegen europäischen Imperialismus) selber imperialistisch wurde (v. a. gegenüber Mittel- und Südamerika).
Die heutige Version bzw. Neuauflage nennen einige Kommentatoren scherzhaft Donroe-Doktrin (wegen Donald J. Trump).

... gegenüber Grönland und Dänemark:

Darüber hinaus besteht aber auch die Gefahr, dass Trump seine Kontrollbestrebungen über Grönland intensivieren will, obwohl dies formell zu Dänemark gehört und Dänemark ein NATO-Mitglied ist. Europäische NATO-Mitglieder warnten deshalb auch vor einem Ende der NATO im Falle eines US-Angriffs. Allerdings gab es schon einmal militärische Konflikte zwischen NATO-Mitgliedern: Man denke nur an die Zypern-Krise (1974) zwischen Griechenland und der Türkei, bei der einerseits die griechische Militärdiktatur Zypern direkt kontrollieren wollte, die türkische Seite aber heimlich mit zivilen Landungsschiffen den Nordosten der Insel besetzen ließ.
Dänemark ging allerdings - gelinde gesagt - nicht immer fair mit seiner Kolonie um.
Es geht dabei darum, dass diverse Nordpassagen für zivile und militärische Schiffe kontrolliert werden sollen und die USA besser positionierte Raketenbasen schaffen kann.


 

KLAAS BRUINSMA (ENGLISH)

06.01.2026 (23:14) - 07.01.2026 (01:10)

Klaas Bruinsma on his yacht

*  06.10.53 

+ 27.06.91

Klaas Bruinsma was a Dutch drug dealer and gang leader.

Klaas Bruinsma (Deutsch)
- 
Willem Holleeder (Deutsch)

CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH

Bruinsma was born the second child of Dutchman Anton Bruinsma and British woman Gwen Kelly. Anton Bruinsma (1921–1984) had previously been married twice without children. This marriage was meant to change that. The couple had four children: Charly, Klaas, Anton, and Ada. 
Nevertheless, this marriage also did not last long. After his parents' divorce, Klaas moved to Great Britain with his mother in the late 1950s. But he didn't stay there long. In 1964, he moved back to the Netherlands and lived in Blaricum in southeastern North Holland.

Even as a schoolboy, Bruinsma displayed problematic behavior. He began dealing soft drugs. In the increasingly liberal 1960s, the use of these drugs became fashionable. Previously, they had been largely confined to large cities or artistic circles. Such behavior, of course, didn't arise out of thin air. Besides external influences like the hippie movement, clear internal tensions were evident within the Bruinsma family. Klaas Bruinsma's father was a soft drink manufacturer who was extremely successful economically. At the same time, however, he was also exceptionally moody and tyrannized his family. Anton Bruinsma beat his children and tried to enlist them for his work from an early age. In response, Klaas Bruinsma, on the one hand, adopted a rebellious stance, exaggerating his behavior in the opposite, non-bourgeois direction, while on the other hand, he also wanted to surpass his father in terms of money and possessions.

DEFINITIVE ENTRY AND ADVANCEMENT

At sixteen, Bruinsma was convicted of his first drug offense in 1970. He received probation. Nevertheless, he was expelled from school. Bruinsma's father was not pleased with any of this. His son was at a crossroads: to turn his life toward a respectable path or to pursue a life of crime. He chose the latter. From 1974 onward, he began dealing drugs professionally.

Bruinsma initially attached himself to the distribution networks of established kingpins. Over time, however, he became increasingly independent. A key factor in this was his relationship with Hugo Ferrol, who came from Indonesia and was married to Thea Moear, the daughter of the legendary Gijsje "Blonde Greet" Balk. Moear wanted to surpass her mother's "moderate" drug smuggling operations and collaborated with Ferrol to achieve this. At the same time, she also had an ambivalent relationship with Ferrol's rivals, first Antonio Brusamolin (from Brussels) and later Klaas Bruinsma.

Hugo Ferrol

Bruinsma proved to be very talented, but his activities did not go unnoticed by the state. The police at that time were not yet as professional in their drug enforcement efforts as they would later become, but they were already attempting to control the growing problem with intensified raids. Bruinsma initially focused on the massive import of hashish, which he mostly obtained from Pakistan. At that time, before the Islamic Revolution in Iran and the civil war in Afghanistan, transporting such goods was still relatively easy. The main problems arose with the security forces of Iran ("Persia"), which was still ruled by the Shah. Drugs like cocaine became fashionable, or rather, regained popularity, during the 1970s.

In 1976, Bruinsma was sentenced to prison for the first time. This did not deter him, however. After his release, Bruinsma built a new organization. A key figure in this was the kickboxer, accomplice, and bodyguard André Brilleman. Bruinsma rewarded Brilleman with money and support for his new boxing gym. 
In 1977, Bruinsma managed to win over Thea Moear, the partner of his main rival Hugo Ferrol. Thea Moear, who also had Arab ancestry, eventually became known as the "Godmother" of the drug trade. The two remained business partners for a long time. This, however, also brought Bruinsma into a final enmity with Ferrol. 
In 1978, Bruinsma wanted to preempt the impending danger and hired Henk Soetarno, of Indonesian descent, to assassinate Ferrol. The trap turned against the gang, and Soetarno was killed in the process.

In 1979, Bruinsma was convicted again, this time for importing hashish from Pakistan. After his release, he rebuilt his organization, aiming to supply large parts of Western Europe. At that time, Europe was still divided by the Iron Curtain. His organization operated in Germany, Belgium, France, and Scandinavia.
In 1982, Bruinsma wanted to finally resolve the long-simmering problem with Ferrol. This time, his bodyguard André Brilleman, along with the Yugoslavian Alexander Marianovic, was supposed to carry out the liquidation. But the plan backfired again. Neither of them wanted to be so easily manipulated by Bruinsma, and many members of the Yugoslavian mafia were unwilling to choose sides in the conflict. 
The "proof photo" of the liquidation was then staged with ketchup. Bruinsma was initially surprised that there was no mention of it in the newspapers, but he took the bait—until a confidant told him that he had seen the condemned man alive. Bruinsma was furious. Marianovic paid for this deception with his life; Brilleman was spared. Bruinsma didn't want to liquidate two men at once, and besides, he still needed Brilleman.

In 1983, Bruinsma was involved in a drug-related shootout in which he was wounded. 
In 1984, he was sentenced to three years in prison for assault. During this time, his father died of cancer. 
In 1985, while Bruinsma was still incarcerated, André Brilleman was murdered. Brilleman's body was found in the Waal (a branch of the Rhine). His remains had been dismembered and his genitals removed. They had then been placed in a barrel. It is suspected that Bruinsma ordered the murder from prison. His motives were likely twofold: first, that Brilleman was conducting unauthorized side business and may even have stolen from his associates; and second, that he had played an unclear role in Bruinsma's previous conflicts with his rivals. On the other hand, the physically imposing Brilleman was needed as a bodyguard.

In 1987, after his release from prison, Bruinsma returned to managing his organization. This time, he restructured it. Thea Moear was replaced as the main business partner by Etienne Urka. At the same time, he sought to broaden his business base and entered the amusement arcade and slot machine market. In doing so, he established and strengthened his connections with Simon "Sam" Klepper and John Mieremet, nicknamed "Spic & Span" (after a household cleaner). Both were established figures in the Dutch underworld. They were childhood friends from Amsterdam and belonged to the notorious Kinkerbuurt gang, which also included Kees Houtman and George van Kleef. The Kinkerbuurt gang, in turn, had connections to the drug dealer Charles Zwolsman.

Sam Klepper

These men, in turn, had connections to the underworld figures and Heineken kidnappers Cor(nelis) "Flip" van Hout and Willem Holleeder. Van Hout earned his nickname through excessive pinball playing. Both belonged to a larger criminal group that had met in school sports clubs, engaged in a few shady dealings, then, in the "left-wing 70s," evicted squatters for real estate sharks and, in 1983, carried out the kidnapping of the wealthy brewery owner Freddy Heineken. His chauffeur was also a victim. The kidnappers were eventually discovered but managed to escape to France and were only extradited and brought to trial some time later. Van Hout remained in prison until 1991. Only a portion of the ransom money was recovered.

Cor(nelis) van Hout and Willem Holleeder

The problem with these criminal structures was that the members eventually killed each other. Partners suddenly became enemies, and vice versa. You could never really know where you stood. Only the criminal duo Klepper-Mieremet (Spic & Span) remained relatively stable.

With the support of pimps like Klepper and Mieremet, Bruinsma also had strong bases for his group. The Yab Yum brothel served as an important headquarters. In the 1980s, it was considered Amsterdam's "top brothel." The brothel generated phenomenal profits and even advertised in student magazines. For a long time, it was not apparent to the outside world who truly controlled the brothel. 
Within the Bruinsma gang, which had now diversified further, the Briton Roy Francis Adkins assumed responsibility for the drug trade, disregarding the dealings with Etienne Urka. However, tensions and conflicts with Adkins soon began to surface.

SETBACKS AND DECLINE

Bruinsma's path up the criminal ladder was successful yet precarious. He supplied large parts of Western Europe and was probably one of the continent's biggest drug traffickers. He also had stakes in restaurants, brothels, and the gambling industry. 
On the other hand, such a large empire was increasingly difficult to control. Added to this were Bruinsma's own uncontrolled drug use and personal stress. Over time, some of the gang's operations went wrong, and Bruinsma's reputation within the criminal underworld began to decline.

Bruinsma, who had often been urged by his girlfriends to leave the criminal underworld once he reached a certain level of wealth, decided to retire after one last big heist. Many criminals had attempted something similar, and such schemes often backfired.
Bruinsma planned to import 45 tons of hashish—a huge amount. However, the plan failed, and the operation was exposed. Such failures significantly weakened Bruinsma's position within his own organization. Etienne Urka then took over the management of the business.
Further setbacks followed. When another operation failed in 1990, Bruinsma got into a fight with Roy Adkins. A shootout ensued, though no one was injured. When the police arrived, however, everyone present refused to give a statement. 
In 1991, Adkins was found murdered. 
The year 1991 also marked the end for Klaas Bruinsma. On June 27, the already largely isolated former underworld boss clashed with Martin Hoogland. Hoogland was a former police officer who was now working for the other side and had connections to the Yugoslav mafia. The "Yugo-Mafia" had a long-standing score to settle with Bruinsma, independent of any business rivalries, because he had had one of his bodyguards executed during clashes with his adversaries in the 1970s and early 1980s. 
The altercation with Hoogland initially ended peacefully, but around 4 a.m. Bruinsma was shot dead in front of the Amsterdam Hilton Hotel. He no longer had bodyguards at that time. Some experts doubt that Hoogland was the perpetrator, or even the sole perpetrator, and point to the Yugoslav mafia itself. 
Be that as it may, Hoogland was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the crime in 1993, but was shot dead in 2004.

REPERCUSSIONS

After Bruinsma's death, Sam Klepper and John Mieremet (Spic & Span) took control of the Yab Yum brothel, and they in turn collaborated with the Hells Angels.

But their time also did not last long: Sam Klepper was murdered in 2000, a failed attack on John Mieremet occurred in 2002, and he was killed in Thailand in 2005.
The perpetrators of these attacks are not entirely clear. It's possible they stemmed from a falling out with the gang of Heineken kidnappers Cor van Hout and Willem Holleeder and their banker Willem Endstra. Van Hout allegedly attempted to rob the Klepper-Mieremet gang, who then sought revenge. This led to attacks in both directions. However, other perpetrators (or groups of perpetrators) are also conceivable.
In any case, the power struggle in the underworld of Amsterdam and the Netherlands continued.

The Bruinsma case was to have further repercussions. In the last years of his life, Bruinsma was acquainted with Mabel Wisse Smit. The extent of this relationship is disputed. However, it is likely that the two were a couple for approximately two years starting in 1989 (e.g., according to statements from bodyguards). When she then wished to marry into the Dutch royal family, Parliament, at the instigation of the Balkenende government, forbade her from doing so. When she subsequently decided to marry Prince Johan Friso of Orange-Nassau, he was forced to renounce his claim to the throne and his princely title.

Mabel Wisse Smit and Johan Friso of Orange-Nassau

SOURCES:

Wikipedia
-
various Dutch real crime sites

LIFE DATA OF THE ACTORS (SHORTIFIED FOR MANY):

Bruinsma, Klaas: 1953 - 1991 (murder)

Endstra, Willem: 1953 - 2004 (murder)
Ferrol, Hugo: 1940 - 2015 (disease)

Holleeder, Willem: 1958 (survived so far; in prison)
→ is alleged to have commissioned many murders
van Hout, Cor(nelis): 1957 - 2003 (murder)
Klepper, Sam: 1960 - 2000 (murder)
Mieremet, John: 1960 - 2005 (murder)

CHAD HAAG (ENGLISH)

05.01.2026

 

Chad A. Haag

Chad Haag (Deutsch)


Chad A. Haag is an American philosopher and writer.

-

LIFE

Chad Haag first majored in philosophy at the University of Northern Colorado. 
He then earned a master's degree in comparative literature from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Haag developed an early interest in the history of philosophy and in the critique of technology.

In 2018, Chad Haag moved to India and married his wife, Minu Haag. 
According to US media (see CNBC, Oct. 2018), he did this partly to avoid paying his high tuition fees.
The couple currently (2025) lives in Uchakkada, Kerala, India, where Haag also teaches
at the university.

Chad Haag created a YouTube channel to publish his philosophical views, but it was later shut down.
According to his statements from August 2025, over 700 videos were lost in the process
(https://chadahaag.substack.com).
He himself was unable to closely monitor this development, as he sometimes takes breaks
from media to focus.
However, he can be seen again on YouTube in some talks and lectures.
These include introductions to the German language with a philosophical focus.

WORK

Haag's work focuses on European philosophy in antiquity, the Middle Ages, and the modern era,
as well as non-European philosophy.
His main areas of interest include Hegel's Philosophy of Mind, hermeneutics, peak oil philosophy,
Pentti Linkola's Deep Ecology, and the radical critique of technology by thinkers such as John Zerzan
and Ted Kaczynski.
Despite his sympathy for Kaczynski's ideas, Haag rejects the deadly violence of Ted Kaczynski,
known as the "UNAbomber."
Like Kaczynski, Haag argues that left-wing activists, such as professors, are not true revolutionaries
due to their connections to the system, but rather conformists pretending to be nonconformists.

Chad Haag's works are viewed differently by various scholars.
They are also not yet as well-known as those of established philosophers.
On the one hand, critics welcome his exposure of the downsides of the world's technological advancement
and Chads connection to (integration into) established philosophical frameworks
(e.g., German Idealism).
On the other hand, there is also criticism of his approach and his approving mention of radical
technophobes like Ted Kaczynski and Pentti Linkola - without glorifying their violence.
Kaczynski did not shy away from bombings in his fight against the technological system and industrial society;
the Finn Linkola became increasingly radical and embittered over the course of his life,
soon praising anything that reduces the number of people on Earth, 
including war, genocide, and epidemics.

PUBLICATIONS (excerpt)

A Critique of Transcendental Memology: A Peak Oil Philosophy of Truth; 2018

The Philosophy of Ted Kaczynski: Why the Unabomber was Right about Modern Technology; 2019

Being and Oil: Volume One: Peak Oil Philosophy and the Ontology of Limitation; 2019

The Hermeneutics of Ecological Limitation: Ecophilosophy Beyond Environmentalism; 2019

Hermeneutic Death: The Technological Destruction of Subjectivity; 2020

The Later Philosophy of Pentti Linkola; 2020

Social Justice Madness; 2021