Trump, Maduro, and the 'Cartel' Wordplay
For decades, the US playbook for destabilizing governments out of favor has included criminalizing its leaders. Before Maduro was a 'cartel boss,' Manuel Noriega of Panama was a 'drug trafficker' right up until the US needed to invade in 1989. The narrative shifts, but the underlying goal (regime change, resource control) often remains constant. The State Department's shifting definition of
'terrorist' or 'cartel boss' frequently aligns with geopolitical expediency, not consistent law enforcement. So, when the Trump team (or any US administration) deploys such loaded terminology, perhaps the immediate follow-up shouldn't be a semantic debate, but a question: What strategic assets does Venezuela possess that the US would like to 'liberate'? One might wonder how many 'drug lords'
suddenly appear when a country sits on vast oil reserves.