"The drumbeat is growing louder. Covert operations are supposed to remain just that, but on Wednesday Donald Trump confirmed that he had approved secret CIA actions in Venezuela and suggested that he was considering strikes on its territory. These comments follow the administration's extrajudicial killings at sea: attacks on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean that have left at least 27 dead a frightening new precedent denounced by UN experts as illegal."
"The US president's repeated claim that each boat strike saves 25,000 American lives is even more preposterous than it first sounds. The fentanyl that killed 48,000 people in the US last year did not come from Venezuela; most of it is from Mexico. But Mr Maduro's regime looks increasingly isolated. The US has designated Venezuela's Tren de Aragua gang as a terrorist organisation that has invaded the US, claiming that Mr Maduro is personally responsible."
"This administration has proved unexpectedly active in Latin America, apparently the one sphere of foreign policy where the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, is making the running. He has long sought to oust Mr Maduro for both ideological and material reasons. Other hawkish figures in the administration, such as Stephen Miller, share this view. Mr Trump initially licensed another, simultaneous approach; his envoy Richard Grenell brokered agreements on deportation flights and energy contracts."
Donald Trump approved secret CIA actions in Venezuela and floated strikes, while the administration carried out maritime strikes on alleged drug boats that killed at least 27. The White House asserts each boat strike prevents thousands of US deaths, despite evidence that most lethal fentanyl originates in Mexico rather than Venezuela. About 6,500 US troops are deployed to the region and Venezuela's Tren de Aragua gang has been designated a terrorist organisation, with accusations that Maduro bears responsibility. Hawks including Marco Rubio and Stephen Miller push for Maduro's ouster, and Richard Grenell's conciliatory efforts appear sidelined, raising risks of escalation and unlawful precedents.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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