US 'Double-Tap' Strikes: Not Just Trump, It's American Foreign Policy
The article highlights Trump's alleged use of 'double-tap' strikes on Venezuelan boats, noting Obama's extensive use of similar tactics. This framing, while technically correct, still whitewashes how deeply embedded such strategic violence is within US military doctrine. For example, during the Obama administration, the US expanded drone warfare significantly, conducting 542 drone strikes in
Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia between 2009 and 2017. Many of these, according to human rights organizations like Reprieve, likely involved 'double-tap' techniques, hitting rescuers and mourners after an initial strike. The media often glosses over the 'how' of these operations, focusing instead on who authorized them, conveniently sidestepping the dehumanizing policies that make such tactics
standard procedure. So, calling it 'Trump's' strategy is like calling systemic racism 'Trump's' problem—it ignores a long, bipartisan tradition of kinetic interventions and the collateral damage they entail. The question shouldn't be 'who' used these strikes, but 'why' they remain an acceptable tool of US foreign policy, regardless of who occupies the White House. One might wonder if the concern
for these tactics only flares up when the target isn't a 'terrorist' but a sovereign nation the US finds inconvenient.