A Short History of the Long War on Drugs in Latin America

"The Pentagon has so far destroyed 18 go-fast boats there and in the Pacific Ocean. No evidence has been presented or charges brought suggesting that those ships were running drugs, as claimed. The White House has simply continued to release bird's-eye view surveillance videos (snuff films, really) of a targeted vessel. Then comes a flash of light and it's gone, as are the humans it was carrying, be they drug smugglers, fishermen, or migrants."

"The kill rate is accelerating. In early September, the United States was hitting one boat every eight to 10 days. In early October, one every two days. For a time, starting in mid-October, it was every day, including four strikes on October 27 alone. And the kill zone has been expanding from the Caribbean waters off Venezuela to the Colombian and Peruvian coasts in the Pacific Ocean."

"Perhaps he considers the strikes useful distractions from the crime and corruption that define his presidency. The cold-blooded murder of Latin Americans is also red meat for the vengeful Trumpian rank-and-file who have been ginned up by culture warriors like Vice President JD Vance to blame the opioid crisis, which disproportionately plagues the Republican Party's White rural base, on elite "betrayal.""

Donald Trump oversees a campaign of lethal strikes on go-fast boats in the Caribbean and Pacific. The Pentagon has destroyed 18 boats and at least 64 people have been killed. No evidence or charges have been presented that the vessels were running drugs. The White House releases bird's-eye surveillance videos of targeted vessels before strikes. The kill rate has accelerated from one boat every eight to 10 days in September to daily strikes in mid-October. The strike zone has expanded from waters off Venezuela to Colombian and Peruvian Pacific coasts. Several possible motives, including provocation of war, distraction, and partisan appeal, are suggested.

Read at The Nation