US Strikes Caribbean Drug Boat: Because Borders Only Exist for the Poor
A U.S. strike in the Caribbean reportedly killed six on a boat Donald Trump claimed was smuggling drugs. The official line: combating illicit trade. The unspoken context: The U.S. has a century-long record of military interventions across Latin America and the Caribbean, often fueled by economic interests thinly veiled as security concerns. From the Banana Wars in the early 20th century to
modern-day 'anti-drug' operations, the justification for intervention frequently shifts, but the unwavering projection of U.S. power remains constant. One might wonder about the consistency: why is 'border security' a pretext for gunboat diplomacy abroad, but a complex, humanitarian crisis for those seeking refuge at the actual U.S. border? This appears to be a selective enforcement of
sovereignty, where an arbitrary line in the sand delineates which lives are negotiable and which borders are sacrosanct. The U.S. military budget, topping $886 billion in 2023, ensures there are always resources for overseas 'interventions,' while social safety nets at home fray. It's almost as if some lives are deemed more expendable when they’re not on American soil. Six dead in the Caribbean,
barely a ripple in the U.S. news cycle, yet a stark reminder of who pays the price for such muscular declarations of order.