Historian: US Escalation Against Venezuela Isn't About Drugs - It's About Maduro

"President Trump has ordered what he called a "total and complete blockade" of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, as the United States escalates pressure on the government of President Nicolás Maduro. The move comes amid a major U.S. military buildup in the region and days after U.S. forces seized an oil tanker carrying Venezuelan oil. Since September, the U.S. military has carried out at least 25 airstrikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific near Venezuela, killing at least 95 people."

"The administration's actions against Venezuela signal "the total renunciation of liberal internationalism" and further abandonment of "a world governed by common laws," says Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and Yale University professor Greg Grandin. This comes as Latin America is on a "knife's edge between the left and the right," with the Trump administration eager to boost its authoritarian allies across the region, says Grandin."

"The blockade comes amidst a major U.S. military buildup in the region and days after the U.S. seized an oil tanker filled with Venezuelan oil. In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, quote, "Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America. It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before," unquote."

President Trump ordered a "total and complete blockade" on sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, intensifying pressure on Nicolás Maduro's government. The blockade coincides with a major U.S. military buildup in the region and followed the seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker. Since September, U.S. forces have conducted at least 25 airstrikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats near Venezuela, reportedly killing at least 95 people. Historian Greg Grandin characterizes the administration's actions as a renunciation of liberal internationalism and an abandonment of a world governed by common laws. Latin America faces sharp political polarization, with the U.S. supporting right-wing authoritarian allies.

Read at Truthout