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Venezuelan Oil and the US Energy Strategy
Why Trump and Big Oil are not Always on the Same Page
Katharina Kort
Award-winning journalist and U.S. correspondent for DER SPIEGEL, covering business and economic affairs, with extensive experience reporting across Europe and the United States.
Wednesday, February 11th, 2026
1:00- 2:00pm
SUNY Global Center
116 East 55th Street
New York City
Also available on Zoom
About the Topic
Following the US intervention in Venezuela, the United States has assumed control over the country's vast oil reserves. While the president has called on major oil companies to invest billions in rebuilding Venezuela's oil infrastructure, companies such as ExxonMobil are reluctant. How are political goals and corporate strategies diverging on Venezuelan oil? What does this reveal about the complex relationship between government energy policy and Big Oil's commercial calculations in an era of global oil gluts, geopolitical risk, and shifting energy markets? Ms. Kort will provide insights into the conflicting interests between the Trump administration's energy policy ambitions and the commercial realities facing major oil companies.
About the Speaker
Katharina Kort is a U.S.-based correspondent in New York for Der Spiegel, Germany's leading news magazine, where she covers American business and economic policy. Her career in business journalism is extensive and distinguished. Before joining Der Spiegel in January 2026, Ms. Kort served as U.S. Bureau Chief for Handelsblatt, Germany's leading economic newspaper, leading the entire US coverage from New York from 2017 to 2025. She previously served as Handelsblatt's Italy correspondent from 2005 to 2016, covering the eurozone debt crisis and Southern Europe's political transformations. During her time in Milan, she also served as President of the Foreign Press Association, leading an organization of 100 international correspondents. She is a recipient of the prestigious Georg von Holtzbrinck Preis für Wirtschaftspublizistik, one of Germany's most esteemed awards for business journalism, and holds a Master's degree in Political Science from the Università degli Studi di Perugia in Italy.
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Guest of a Member: $35
Non-member: $35