US 'Takes Over' Vessels, Calls it 'Maritime Security'
Newsweek breathlessly reports the US 'took over' a second vessel off the coast of Venezuela ('report'). One might confuse this with an act of piracy, but don't be silly; it's 'maritime security' when the US Navy does it. This echoes a familiar pattern of US intervention in Latin America, from the Bay of Pigs (1961) to the overthrow of Allende in Chile (1973), always for 'freedom' or
'security'—never, ever, for oil or regional hegemony. Oddly, Newsweek omits how Venezuelan ships attempting similar 'takeovers' off the Florida coast would likely be met. Perhaps 'international waters' is another term with flexible definitions, reserved for those with the biggest navy. Funny how 'sovereignty' often bends to the will of 'national interests,' especially when those interests involve
resource-rich nations disinclined to follow Washington's script.