Trump Targets Venezuela After Years of Cartel 'Non-Urgency'
Donald Trump recently declared the Pentagon would soon launch land-based strikes against drug cartels in places like Venezuela, claiming 'land is much easier' and 'we know the routes.' This sudden militaristic pivot, announced by a former president campaigning for re-election, conveniently ignores the complicated history of US-led interventions in Latin America, often leaving behind a trail of
destabilization, not eradication of drug flow. Are these 'cartels' actually 'governments we don't like?' (Bloomberg) One might wonder where this 'decisive action' was during the opioid crisis that ravaged American communities, or when previous administrations contented themselves with largely cosmetic maritime interdictions. Apparently, the 'war on drugs' only merits full-scale invasion when
there's a geopolitical enemy attached to the alleged trafficking. How many 'very soon' declarations precede an actual, destabilizing foreign adventure under the guise of public safety?