We are in the middle of a business model revolution. And we are active participants in that revolution. We have been transitioning from a society where possession and application of physical commodities defined wealth and power, to a society where possession and application of knowledge define wealth and power. Throughout the 20th century, oil had been the most valuable commodity in defining wealth and power. Possession and application of oil defined the fortunes of individuals (John D. Rockefeller, H.L. Hunt, Paul Getty), companies (Standard Oil, ExxonMobil, Shell, BP), and countries (United States, Russia, Saudi Arab, Iraq, Canada, Venezuela).

BOGOTA, Colombia – The exiled opposition leader accused by Venezuelan authorities of directing a failed plot to assassinate President Nicolas Maduro says the greatest threat to the embattled socialist leader may be his detractors in uniform standing quietly behind him. Julio Borges, who once led Venezuela's opposition-controlled National Assembly, said Tuesday that the arrests of two high-ranking military officers in connection with the attack using drones loaded with plastic explosives is yet another signal that fractures within the nation's armed forces are growing. "The conflict today is within the government -- not just at the political level, but more importantly within the armed forces," Borges said in an interview with The Associated Press in Colombia's capital. His comments came hours after Venezuela's chief prosecutor announced the arrest of Gen. Alejandro Perez and Col. Pedro Zambrano from Venezuela's National Guard as part of the investigation into the Aug. 4 attack. Their alleged roles were not described.

Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro may be the first major leader to have faced a drone-based assassination attempt. Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez claimed that at least one bomb-laden drone had exploded close to Maduro while he was giving a speech at a Caracas event on August 4th. The authoritarian leader was unhurt in the incident, but seven National Guard soldiers were reportedly injured. Video from state TV showed Maduro and officials looking up in a moment of panic before the camera cut away, with the assembled troops running soon afterward. The country has seen mounting unrest over recent years due to both Maduro's anti-democratic policies and an economic collapse triggered in part by plummeting oil prices.