U.S. 'War on Drugs' Claims 87 Lives, Colombia Wonders About Legality
CBS News delicately notes that since the Trump administration, U.S. strikes against 'alleged drug vessels' off South America have killed at least 87 people. Fishermen in Santa Marta, Colombia, like the relatives of Alejandro Carranza—who never returned from sea—are understandably concerned. The report even quotes Michael Waldman of the Brennan Center questioning the legality. This 'War on Drugs'
looks eerily similar to past 'wars' in Central and South America, where U.S. intervention often leaves a trail of civilian bodies and destabilized regions, rarely solving the root issues but always enriching someone. One might recall that the U.S. has a peculiar habit of defining international waters as its own personal shooting range when 'national security' (read: economic interests) is invoked.
How many 'wars' does the U.S. need to wage on other people's soil, claiming humanitarian or anti-drug pretexts, before we acknowledge the consistent pattern of collateral damage and regional resentment? It's almost as if the U.S. foreign policy playbook has only one dog-eared page: 'Bomb first, ask questions later (or just don't ask at all).'