US Military Paints Warplane 'Civilian' for Venezuela Strike, Apparently
According to AP sources reported by The Independent, the plane involved in a recent boat strike off Venezuela was meticulously painted to appear civilian. This, we're told, was to 'better observe' the target. Meanwhile, the U.S. continues to warn nations against 'destabilizing actions' in their own regions (Syria, Yemen, anyone?). Caracas, for its part, has consistently accused the U.S. of
attempts at destabilization and regime change—a playbook well-worn since the 2002 coup attempt against Hugo Chavez, which the U.S. initially denied involvement in, only for documents later to reveal clear ties. One might generously call this a 'creative interpretation' of international law. Or one might call it exactly what it looks like: an unacknowledged act of war, wrapped in a deceptively
painted plane, conducted unilaterally in another nation's exclusive economic zone. The irony, of course, is that the U.S. lambasts China for similar 'aggressive' maritime maneuvers with 'gray zone' tactics, while apparently engaging in its own, rather more colorful, versions. The 'rules-based order' seems increasingly flexible, depending on whose military asset is doing the disguising.