Tensions are rising between U.S. President Donald Trump and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Tensions are rising between U.S. President Donald Trump and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The U.S. Navy has increased its presence in the Caribbean and last week Trump announced that a U.S. military strike killed 11 members of the Tren de Aragua gang on a vessel in international waters.
Would U.S. military intervention in Venezuela be effective, either in stopping drug cartels or toppling Maduro? Has the Trump administration already gone too far? Newsweek contributors Daniel R. DePetris and Dan Perry debate:
Daniel R. DePetris:
The Trump administration is rightly frustrated about the drug crisis plaguing America, which suffers tens of thousands of overdose deaths every year. Yet by using the U.S. military to battle the cartels, the White House is essentially mimicking—and escalating—the failed « war on drugs » playbook that Richard Nixon introduced more than a half-century ago. Bombing small boats allegedly carrying drugs northward may give us a momentary rush of satisfaction, but if history is any guide, the long-term results will be lacking. Tackling the supply side of the drug problem is not enough. And by exercising « gunboat diplomacy », Washington is liable to alienate governments in Latin America whose cooperation will be essential for tackling cartels.
Dan Perry:
I’m conflicted on this. On the one hand, killing people on a Venezuelan boat in the high seas without trial looks like a summary execution. Even drug smugglers don’t legally face the death penalty, and it’s troubling for the U.S. to take lives without due process. On the other hand, Venezuela’s regime is a criminal enterprise devastating its people, destabilizing the region, and very likely enabling drug flows to the U.S. In that context, a harsh response sends a message that Washington’s tolerance has ended. I’m not so worried about upsetting some corrupt governments. The morality is murky, but the strategic logic of drawing a red line is not without merit.
DePetris:
You won’t get any pushback from me about the existence of corrupt governments in Latin America. And I take your point on the legality of it all; due-process is nonexistent in this circumstance. But if the objective of this flashy strike was to deter criminal organizations from producing drugs and sending them to the United States, then it’s highly unlikely to work. Cartels and the people who run them aren’t irrational per se, but they aren’t particularly concerned with risk, either.
