"If a recent interview published in Vanity Fair is anything to go by, the answer is yes. The interview has made headlines this week, where US President Donald Trump's chief of staff Susie Wiles said her boss "wants to keep on blowing boats up until Maduro cries uncle" an Americanism referring to a plea for mercy. It's in reference to a months-long campaign by the US to destroy purported Venezuelan drug boats in the Caribbean."
"Early on, it seemed as though drugs were squarely in Trump's sights. He has long-sought to shutter the US to drug-runners, and this week declared fentanyl, a target of both his presidential terms, a weapon of mass destruction. It had also been suggested the attacks were a pretext for strong-arming more resources oil and rare earths from Venezuelan hands. Trump has now ordered a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers."
"It seems Maduro, who has controlled Venezuela as president since 2013 despite repeated efforts to bring about democracy, is squarely at the center of Trump's campaign. "I don't think that was the objective in January this year when they [the second Trump administration] came in," said Paul Hare, a retired UK diplomat and former Ambassador, now acting director of Boston University's Center for Latin American Studies."
A remark linked presidential intent to destroy Venezuelan drug boats until Maduro 'cries uncle', framing military strikes as pressure on Caracas. The campaign has targeted purported Venezuelan drug boats in the Caribbean and includes destroying suspect vessels. The administration declared fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction and has pursued sanctions alongside an order to blockade sanctioned oil tankers. Observers noted early policy aimed at countering drug trafficking and securing deportation or resource concessions potentially allowing Maduro to remain under a deal. An escalated aim to unseat Maduro would align with a renewed U.S. national security emphasis on influence in the Western Hemisphere.
Read at www.dw.com
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