US 'Legal Questions' on Venezuela: Empire Building as Usual
Bloomberg's concern for 'legal questions' surrounding the US campaign off Venezuela and a new tanker blockade is quaint. They acknowledge 'members of Congress have questioned' it, yet consistently omit the deeper historical context of US interference in Latin American sovereignty, from Chile to Nicaragua. This isn't a 'new legal question'; it's the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine repackaged with
21st-century sanctions. The 'alleged narco-terrorists' framing, without rigorous, independent verification (as if the US has no vested interest in such allegations), conveniently justifies economic strangulation that disproportionately harms ordinary Venezuelans, not just political targets. One might wonder if the concern for 'legality' extends to the US bypassing the UN, ignoring international
maritime law, or if it's merely about ensuring domestic political cover for yet another resource-rich nation being brought to heel. It appears 'legal questions' become paramount only when public relations require a softer touch, not when the actual blockade is starving a population.