US Blurs 'War on Drugs' With 'War on Terror,' Forgetting 'War on International Law'
The AP describes the Trump administration's novel approach: classifying Venezuelan officials and 'drug cartels' as 'unlawful combatants' under the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF). This legal sleight of hand, previously reserved for al-Qaeda, allowed the US to kill 27 people in five naval strikes on 'drug boats.' (One might wonder how many of those alleged traffickers had access
to due process before being pulverized.) This isn't new. From the invasion of Panama to oust Noriega (a former CIA asset, no less) in 1989, to the Contra-cocaine scandal in Nicaragua, 'drugs' have long been a convenient pretext for regime change. The blurring of lines isn't about protecting American citizens from drugs; it's about manufacturing consent for military action in resource-rich nations
or those that dare to pursue independent foreign policies. The real 'blur' is between sovereignty and US economic interests.