U.S. to Venezuela: It's Only an 'Operation' When We Do It
Secretary of State Marco Rubio insists the U.S. raid to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and bomb a military base wasn't 'war,' but merely an 'operation against drug trafficking organizations.' This semantic flexibility, Axios dutifully notes, frees the administration from pesky details like Congressional approval or the Geneva Conventions protecting prisoners of war. Never mind the
'dozens killed' or President Trump's declared intent to 'run' Venezuela and threaten further strikes. This isn't war; it's 'law enforcement' abroad. One might recall similar 'operations' in places like Iraq or Afghanistan, where the U.S. also declared itself a reluctant liberator, not an invading force. Oddly, when other nations intervene under similar pretexts, the language shifts dramatically
from 'operation' to 'unprovoked aggression.' It appears international law is rather flexible, depending on who's holding the B-2 bomber remote.