In a move that blends geopolitical ambition with corporate calculation, Chevron has committed more than $7 billion to expand its century-old presence in Venezuela's Orinoco Belt, aiming to more than double output to 600,000 barrels per day by 2031. The expansion follows a sweeping agreement brokered by the Trump administration — one that grants a private partner century-long rights over billions of barrels of reserves and gives the Pentagon a share of the profits, raising profound questions about sovereignty, legal authority, and the distance between political promise and economic reality. Ven