Did Jack Ryan predict the attack on Venezuela? Why this clip is going viral

Does the Jack Ryan thriller TV series predict US attack on Venezuela? That’s the question some social media users are asking after a video clip from the series went viral this weekend, more than five years after it first aired.

The Trump administration on Saturday conducted a “large-scale strike” in Venezuela, which resulted in the capture of the president Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

This happened after several months of US military launches strikes off Venezuelaand the previous sinking of several regional ships, which, according to US President Donald Trump and his team, were used to traffic drugs.

Jack Ryan, a fictional American political thriller series on Amazon Prime, is the most recent version of the main character written in author Tom Clancy’s novels.

In this performance, which debuted in 2018, Jack Ryan is played by actor John Krasinski.

During the second season of the series, released in October 2019, Krasinski’s character is seen giving a presentation to a full conference room and asks them the question: “What do you think is the biggest threat on the world stage?”

In response, some actors playing the role of participants raised their hands and gave answers such as “Russia”, “China” and “North Korea”.

Krasinski’s character then asks: “Venezuela?

One person raises their hand.

He then suggests why Venezuela might be one of the biggest global threats, beyond those previously suggested, and particularly a threat to the United States, in the series’ narrative.

“The fact is that Venezuela is arguably the greatest oil and mineral resource on the planet,” the character said.

The character continues, after describing the resources available to Venezuela, that the country was, at the time, considered close to “economic collapse” and doomed to become a so-called “failed state”.

“Analysts’ forecasts, right now, are for a total economic collapse of Venezuela of 87 percent. On the news they will call it a ‘crisis,’ but on the world stage they will talk about a ‘failed state,'” the character said, adding: “Other examples of a failed state in recent history are Yemen, Iraq and Syria.”

Finally, the character Jack Ryan explains that the country could be used by other nations due to its geographic proximity to the United States.

“Venezuela is also the only one of these places (“failed states”) within 30 minutes of the United States’ next-generation nuclear missiles,” the character continued.

“The biggest players on the world stage… for them, unstable governments are nothing but the biggest opportunity. So Russia and China can never be the biggest threat (to the United States) until countries like Venezuela leave the door open in our own backyard.”

While the clip may be from a fictional series, several sentiments aren’t entirely wrong, according to at least one expert who responded to the video clip with Global News.

“By some measures, yes, Venezuela has the largest reserves of heavy crude oil in the world,” says Luis Van Isschot, a history professor at the University of Toronto.

Van Isschot also reflected on the “failed state” terminology used in this specific scene.

“It’s an interesting term: failed state. What kind of state is there if a large part of the country is actually run by illegal armed groups and criminal groups?” he said.

“Venezuela is experiencing one of the largest refugee flows in recent years, mainly due to the ongoing economic crisis there. But does this constitute a failed state? As a historian, I wouldn’t say that.”

Van Isschot noted, however, that while other international actors may have interests in what is happening in Venezuela, they are more likely focused on oil and other resources rather than posing a direct military threat to the United States, as was the case during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

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The question now is: what happens next?

The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday raised concerns about a possible intensification of instability in Venezuela following Maduro’s capture.

“I am deeply concerned about the possible intensification of instability in the country, its potential impact on the region and the precedent this could set in the way interstate relations are conducted,” Guterres said in a statement delivered to the Council by UN political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo.

Guterres called on all Venezuelan actors to engage in inclusive and democratic dialogue, adding: “I welcome and am ready to support all efforts to help Venezuelans find a peaceful path forward.” »

Lawmakers aligned with the ruling party, including Maduro’s son, gathered in the capital, Caracas, to follow up a planned inauguration ceremony in the National Assembly for a term that will last until 2031.

Delcy Rodriguezwho served as Maduro’s vice president and pledged to work with the Trump administration, was sworn in as interim president.

She was sworn in by her brother, Jorge Rodríguez, who was re-elected president.

Trump had She warned she would face “a high price” if she did not cooperate.

In an interview with Global News this weekend, former U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela James Story said many questions remain unanswered, but the stakes are high.

“The question here is how do you reinstitutionalize a country after it has been fundamentally destroyed? These institutions have been subject to a small power base for the last 25 years,” he said, referring to Maduro’s authoritarian hold on Venezuelan institutions.

“How do we get judges to start judging neutrally? How do we ensure that education is provided to everyone, regardless of their political orientation? In a country where you have to prove you’re a member of the ruling party just to get the subsidized food basket that comes out every month, how do you start again?”