Trump’s approach to Venezuela repeats the mistakes of the past |
Donald Trump seems determined to have a military confrontation with Venezuela. He has deployed a massive military arsenal in and around the Caribbean Sea and taken a series of provocative actions off the Venezuelan coast, justifying it as necessary to stem the flow of drugs into the United States.
The Council on Foreign Relations says that deployment includes an “aircraft carrier, destroyers, cruisers, amphibious assault ships, and a special forces support ship. A variety of aircraft have also been active in the region, including bombers, fighters, drones, patrol planes, and support aircraft.” This is the largest display of American military might in the western hemisphere since we invaded Panama in 1989.
The president has refused to rule out a ground invasion of Venezuela. But so far, the administration has used its military assets to target boats allegedly carrying drugs, sought to close Venezuelan airspace, and, on 10 December, seized an oil tanker. How the seizure of an oil tanker helps stem the flow of drugs into the US is not obvious.
In fact, Pam Bondi, the attorney general, claimed the ship was involved “in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations”.
Beyond these explanations, it is unclear why Trump has targeted Venezuela in the ways he has. The president may want to punish the country’s dictatorial president, Nicolás Maduro, for allowing hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans to migrate to this country.
Or he may be seeking to control the country’s vast oil resources.
Whatever his motivation, the peace president is saber-rattling in the Caribbean, much like a bully picks on weaker opponents. And Venezuela is not his only target.
In an interview with Politico, he