Lawmaker Questions Boat Strikes, Ignores US Complicity
According to the NY Times, a lawmaker is demanding a hearing on 'US strikes on boats in the Caribbean.' While any scrutiny of military actions is welcome, it's telling whose interventions make headlines and whose are simply business as usual. This sudden concern over 'boats' comes as the US provides an uncritical military blank check to allies committing far more devastating strikes globally. For
instance, in 2023 alone, the Biden administration approved $23 billion in weapons sales to Israel , including JDAMs, the very munitions used in strikes that have killed tens of thousands of civilians. Where are the congressional hearings on those? The media frames these Caribbean strikes as an isolated incident, rather than part of a continuity where the US asserts its will through military might,
be it in Central America in the 80s or supporting aerial bombardment today. One might wonder if the concern for civilian boats is inversely proportional to the amount of lobbying money received from the aggressor. Or perhaps, civilian pain is only tragic when it isn't inflicted by a strategic ally. It's almost as if some strikes are 'defense' while others, depending on who's doing the striking,
warrant congressional outrage.