Who’s turning up for oil rig work in post-Maduro Venezuela?

A long history of underinvestment, extreme political risk, and organized crime. These are just some of the issues that U.S. oil and minerals companies might face if they were to set foot into Venezuela now that there appears to be a ray of light following the removal of the country’s dictator, Nicolas Maduro.

The longtime strongman, ousted by President Donald Trump’s administration on Jan. 3, has almost unanimously been seen as a block on improving societal conditions in the South American country. On top of all those, however, there is the matter of just who exactly would be able to operate any revitalized oil or minerals industries in a country blessed with natural resources that have largely been squandered for the benefit of a few elites.