Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan Had This to Say About the Dangers of Venezuela [WATCH]

Security analyst Jack Ryan warned that Venezuela represents one of the most overlooked threats on the global stage, citing its vast natural resources, severe humanitarian crisis, and proximity to the United States.

Ryan made the remarks during a public discussion in which he challenged common assumptions about which countries pose the greatest risks to international stability.

Ryan began by asking the audience to identify what they believed to be the most significant global threat, prompting responses that included Russia, China, and North Korea.

He then shifted the focus to Venezuela, a country he said is frequently dismissed as a non-threat despite its strategic importance.

“What would you assume is the most major threat on the world stage? Anybody? Just call it out. You don’t have to raise your hand,” Ryan said.

“Definitely Russia. Definitely Russia. That’s confident. I like it. Who says Russia? Anybody agree with her and Okay, right? Who else, China? Stop yelling at me, but China is a good answer. Anybody who else? China? North Korea. North Korea. Any North Korea takers and Venezuela? Anybody? No, oh yeah. One guy in the back little worried about Venezuela. Everybody’s cool with Venezuela. No threat.”

Ryan said that perception ignores Venezuela’s extraordinary concentration of natural resources and the implications of its political and economic instability.

This Could Be the Most Important Video Gun Owners Watch All Year

“Okay, let me ask you this, which one of these places can claim to have the largest oil deposit on the planet? More than Saudi, more than Iran?” he said.

“Wow. Okay, what about things like gold, more than all the mines in Africa combined?”

According to Ryan, Venezuela’s resource wealth stands in stark contrast to the conditions facing its population.

“The fact is that Venezuela is arguably the single greatest resource of oil and minerals on the planet,” he said.

“So why is this country in the midst of one of the greatest humanitarian crises in modern history.”

Ryan attributed the crisis to the country’s leadership, naming President Nicholas Reyes as responsible for the collapse of Venezuela’s economy.

He said Reyes rose to power on nationalist rhetoric and oversaw a dramatic decline in living conditions within a short period of time.

“Let’s meet President Nicholas Reyes, after rising to power on a wave of nationalist pride in a mere six years, this guy has crippled the national economy by half,” Ryan said.

“He has raised the poverty rate by almost 400%.”

Ryan noted that Reyes is facing re-election and identified his main political challenger as Gloria Benalde, whom he described as an academic turned activist.

“So who’s running against him? This is Gloria Benalde,” Ryan said.

“Now, Gloria is a history professor turned activist. She’s running against him on a social justice platform and on the strength of, in my humble opinion, just not being an asshole.”

Beyond domestic politics, Ryan said analysts are warning of an impending total collapse of the Venezuelan state.

“Analyst, predictions as of today have the chances of Venezuela’s total economic collapse at 87%,” he said.

“On the news, they’ll call it a crisis, but on the world stage, they’ll call it a failed state.”

Ryan explained that the term “failed state” carries significant implications for global security, pointing to recent historical examples.

“If you’ve never heard that term, other examples of a failed state in recent history are Yemen, Iraq, and Syria,” he said.

He added that Venezuela presents a unique risk due to its geographic proximity to the United States and its potential military implications.

“If that’s not bad enough news for you, well, Venezuela is also the only one of these places within 30-minute range from the US of next-gen nuclear missiles,” Ryan said.

Ryan argued that the lack of widespread reporting on Venezuela’s strategic risks is not accidental, suggesting that major global powers benefit from instability.

“You will not hear about any of this on the news because the biggest players on the world stage do not want you to,” he said.

“To them, unstable governments are nothing more than the greatest of opportunities.”

In closing, Ryan warned that focusing solely on traditional adversaries misses a broader and more immediate danger closer to home.

“So Russia and China can never be the most major threat until countries like Venezuela leave the door open to our very own backyard,” he said.

WATCH:

Venezuela explained by Jack Ryan pic.twitter.com/5iOte8ZZZd

— Karli Bonne’ (@KarluskaP) January 4, 2026

The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of LifeZette. Contact us for guidelines on submitting your own commentary.