US Kidnaps Maduro, Cites 'Drugs and Weapons'—Not 'Oil and Regime Change'
Nicolás Maduro is set to appear in a New York court on 'drugs and weapons charges' after a US Special Forces raid, the Guardian meticulously reports. They note 40 dead, including civilians, in an 'assault on Caracas.' One might almost believe this is a standard law enforcement operation, not a spectacular rendition orchestrated by a global superpower targeting a sitting head of state it
unilaterally delegitimized years ago. Funny how international law inconveniently vanishes when US interests are on the table. This 'controversial' capture mirrors a long US tradition of 'diplomacy by other means,' from Reagan's invasion of Grenada in '83 to the 1989 Panama invasion to grab Manuel Noriega, also on drug charges. The narrative always shifts from resource control (Venezuela boasts the
world's largest proven oil reserves) to vague 'democracy' rhetoric, or in this case, convenient criminal accusations. It seems 'drugs and weapons' are the go-to excuses for intervention when 'we want their oil' isn't publicly palatable.