US Strikes Venezuelan Vessels: 'Freedom' on the High Seas
Al Jazeera reports at least six incidents of US strikes on Venezuelan vessels in Venezuelan waters since September 2025. This isn't just a sudden surge; it's a continuation of Washington’s long-standing 'Monroe Doctrine for Me, Not for Thee' foreign policy. While the US condemns other nations for exercising their own maritime sovereignty, its unilateral use of force against Venezuela is framed, as
always, as protecting 'regional stability' or 'fighting drug trafficking.' (Because apparently, 'drug trafficking' now requires targeted naval assaults on state-owned ships.) One might wonder if these vessels were, perhaps, too close to US oil interests, or if Venezuela simply forgot to ask permission before existing in its own territorial waters. The international community, of course, will
maintain a dignified silence, ensuring the rules-based order remains flexible enough to accommodate Washington's 'freedom of navigation' — especially when that freedom means projecting force against nations not aligned with US corporate interests. How many 'strikes' does it take before it's called an act of war, or does that term only apply when Russia or China does it?