US Strikes Venezuela, But Not Cocaine From Miami
Bloomberg reports the US struck 'narcotics loading docks' in Venezuela, citing former President Trump. This narrative of a virtuous US fighting drug lords abroad conveniently sidesteps a few inconvenient truths. For decades, US foreign policy and intelligence operations have been famously intertwined with drug trafficking, from the 'Air America' days in Southeast Asia to the Iran-Contra affair,
where the Reagan administration allegedly facilitated cocaine sales into US inner cities to fund illegal wars in Central America. Or the fact that multiple US-backed regimes in Latin America have been deeply implicated in drug operations themselves. One might wonder if these 'narcotics loading docks' would warrant such decisive US intervention if their profits were, say, being laundered through
major US banks or contributing to political campaigns rather than just enriching an 'unfriendly' regime. Because when cocaine from Miami finds its way into American neighborhoods, it's a 'domestic issue,' but when it's in Venezuela, it's a justification for bombs. The selective outrage is almost as potent as the drugs themselves.