Will the US Attack Venezuela?
Will the US Attack Venezuela?
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Will the US Attack Venezuela?
- All the elements are in place for a strike inside Venezuela
- Diplomatic relations with Venezuela have been broken since 2019.
- In 2020, the US indicted President Maduro for narco-terrorism, placing a $15 million bounty on him, subsequently raised to $25m and now $50m.
- On January 20, Trump took office. Executive Order 14157 declared a “national emergency” and designated international drug-trafficking groups as “foreign terrorist organizations” (FTOs) and “specially designated global terrorists,” citing authority under the Alien Enemies Act.
- By February, Secretary of State Marco Rubio argued that FTOs posed an “existential threat” and laid the groundwork for treating cartels allegedly linked to President Maduro as enemy combatants.
- In May, the administration opened the path to use military force against FTOs.
- Then in July, a “secret directive” authorized military operations against FTOs at sea and on foreign soil.
- By August, the US launched a massive naval deployment off the coast of Venezuela. By October, troop deployment reportedly reached 10,000.
- On September 2, the US blew up the first of four or five alleged drug boats in international waters off of Venezuela, resulting in extrajudicial murders of the crews.
- By mid-September, the Pentagon notified Congress under the War Powers Resolution that US forces were engaged in a “non-international armed conflict” with drug cartels.
- This was followed on October 1 by the Defense Department’s “confidential memo” and more congressional briefings that the US was engaged in armed conflict.
- Trump then terminated the last back-channel diplomatic contacts with Venezuela.