What I found particularly interesting, toward the bottom of the article, was the talk about how Venezuela has been "de-institutionalized", where all government departments have been filled with Maduro yes-men

This is standard fare for authoritarians - you have to have at least a spy in every corner.

As commented before, making profits for US oil companies is a vector of many of his foreign policy "arty deals".

All Presidents have done this. The demand for oil is part of the drive in American Foreign Policy. We jawbone, incentivize, and coerce. T will likely make money on the side, but that doesn't make it the major reason. If he couldn't make money from it - that would be notable.

His nibs's life experience has been as CEO of a closely held company. He is used to being a dictator.

He is used to skirting the law and norms. Putting up a good pretextual front while grifting and getting around the law, regs., and observing a norm only if it suits his purpose. So all norms are out once he needs to get past, which is almost every time. No need for real emergencies if he has to be given deference, eh? He's listened to advisors all of his life. He has no scruples, so everything is game.