The Guardian’s view on the US and Venezuela: Trump’s ‘war on drugs’ increases military threats to Maduro | Editorial
TThe drumbeat is getting louder. The operations are supposed to remain secret, but on Wednesday Donald Trump confirmed that he had approved secret CIA operations in Venezuela and indicated that he was considering launching strikes on its territory. These comments come in the wake of the administration’s extrajudicial killings at sea: attacks on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean that left at least 27 dead – a chilling new precedent UN experts condemned it as illegal. The United States has already reinforced its forces in the region, with about 6,500 soldiers now stationed there. Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela’s dictator, said after Trump’s comments: “No to war in the Caribbean… No to regime change… No to coups organized by the CIA.”
American President Repeated prompt To say that each boat strike saves 25,000 American lives is more implausible than it might seem at first glance. The fentanyl that killed 48,000 people in the United States last year did not come from Venezuela; Most of them are from Mexico. But the Maduro regime appears increasingly isolated. The United States designated Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua cartel as a terrorist organization that “invaded” the United States, claiming that Maduro was personally responsible. It has used this position to justify deportations and to boast – against the evidence – that Trump has succeeded in reducing violent crime in cities.
This administration has proven unexpectedly active in Latin America, the only foreign policy area where Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in the running. He has long sought to oust Maduro for ideological and material reasons. Other hardline figures in the administration, such as Stephen Miller, share this view. Mr. Trump was cheap at first Another synchronous approach; His envoy, Richard Grenell, brokered agreements on deportation flights and energy contracts. Many believe it was the hawks who won, with reports that Trump gave orders to Grenell To end conversations.
Broadcasting CIA operations and war planning with such enthusiasm might suggest that the United States hopes regime change will come through Maduro’s flight (which is unlikely), or that it still cherishes the long-held (and as yet unsubstantiated) desire for military and security forces to turn against him. Others suspect this is the latest example of Trump’s overt “or else” approach to foreign policy — designed to extract more from Maduro.
The United States has a long and shameful history of interference in Latin America. But Trump will be wary of angering MAGA supporters with military action, and of looking like a paper tiger if Maduro stays in place again. The attempt to impeach him during Trump’s first term, with US support for the then opposition leader, Juan Guaido, failed. The decision last week to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Maria Corina Machado – whose opposition movement is widely believed to have won last year’s election – has heightened tensions. And more brutal repression By the regime – a symbolic boost to those who stand against Maduro, but it is unlikely to be a turning point in itself. If insiders remove him, Maduroismo without Maduro may not be an improvement for Venezuelans.
The Trump administration may convince itself that military action can be strictly limited, given the limited options available to Maduro. But the Democrats and Human rights groups We are right to warn against illegal and unauthorized uses of force, which endangers the lives of Venezuelans, increases the insecurity they face, and risks escalation.