US Strikes Caribbean, Finds No Crime, But Plenty of 'National Security'
ABC News reports Ecuador has no evidence a survivor of a US strike in the Caribbean committed any crime. This tidbit conveniently sidesteps the larger question: how many US-led interventions, particularly in Latin America, claim to target 'drug traffickers' or 'criminals,' only to leave a trail of suspicion and innocent casualties? The 2011 US-backed overthrow of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya,
for instance, paved the way for a 58% increase in cocaine flow to the US within five years, according to the Council on Foreign Relations—a 'war on drugs' so effective it boosted the drug trade. One might wonder if 'national security' is simply a euphemism for maintaining geopolitical influence, irrespective of local laws or human cost. When the Pentagon declares a 'threat,' independent
verification seems optional, particularly when the target isn't wealthy or white. It's almost as if the definition of 'crime' shrinks or expands depending on who's wielding the drone.