Antagonism with South America: Ship Attacks Go Too Far
Under the pretense of taking measures against narcotics, U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has been attacking ships in the Central American region of the Caribbean Sea and related areas.
Since the 1970s, the U.S. has been seeking cooperation from various Central and South American nations in managing the narcotics trade in exchange for aid. This dubious, arbitrary use of military force is liable to render this long-standing effort futile. These actions could possibly lead to similar military movements in retaliation and should be ceased immediately.
The possible backstory underlying this show of force, in which the U.S. does not capture and investigate the vessels, is the intention to ramp up pressure on long-time rival Venezuela.
The number of targeted ships has reached 10 since September, with over 40 crew members killed. According to some reports, in an effort to justify the use of force, Trump notified Congress that the U.S. is engaged in a “non-international armed conflict” with drug cartels. However, it is unreasonable to call these one-sided attacks an “armed conflict.”
The U.S. government has not produced any clear evidence or basis for claiming that the targeted ships were loaded with narcotics, so it is doubtful that this use of force was based on any detailed investigation.
There is also information that the victims include two fishermen from neighboring Trinidad and Tobago — unrelated to the narcotics problem. If this is true, then these reckless actions are inexcusable.
Also, Colombia, a U.S. ally, claims that a fisherman from its own nation was murdered. Colombian President Gustavo Petro asserted that the aerial strikes within its nation and its territorial waters “violated [Colombia's] sovereignty.” The antagonism between Petro and Trump has intensified, and bilateral relations between the nations, with Colombia being the most important ally in Central and South America, have been shaken.
Within the U.S., not only members of Congress from the minority Democratic Party — as would be expected — but also from the majority Republican Party have voiced criticism about “extrajudicial killings” in which “No one said their name. No one said what evidence." Human rights organizations have also viewed the strikes as problematic, asserting that “the U.S. killed the people in these boats without due process”; U.S. Navy Admiral Alvin Holsey, the commander of U.S. Southern Command, who is believed to have opposed the strikes, announced his resignation.
If a superpower — a leading democratic nation — continues to deviate from the law and employs military force, diplomatic efforts and ethics around the world could decay. If the U.S. touts its “justice,” it should take concrete action to respect the rule of law and human life.
Since the 1970s, the U.S. has been seeking cooperation from various Central and South American nations in managing the narcotics trade in exchange for aid. This dubious, arbitrary use of military force is liable to render this long-standing effort futile. These actions could possibly lead to similar military movements in retaliation and should be ceased immediately.
The possible backstory underlying this show of force, in which the U.S. does not capture and investigate the vessels, is the intention to ramp up pressure on long-time rival Venezuela.
The number of targeted ships has reached 10 since September, with over 40 crew members killed. According to some reports, in an effort to justify the use of force, Trump notified Congress that the U.S. is engaged in a “non-international armed conflict” with drug cartels. However, it is unreasonable to call these one-sided attacks an “armed conflict.”
The U.S. government has not produced any clear evidence or basis for claiming that the targeted ships were loaded with narcotics, so it is doubtful that this use of force was based on any detailed investigation.
There is also information that the victims include two fishermen from neighboring Trinidad and Tobago — unrelated to the narcotics problem. If this is true, then these reckless actions are inexcusable.
Also, Colombia, a U.S. ally, claims that a fisherman from its own nation was murdered. Colombian President Gustavo Petro asserted that the aerial strikes within its nation and its territorial waters “violated [Colombia's] sovereignty.” The antagonism between Petro and Trump has intensified, and bilateral relations between the nations, with Colombia being the most important ally in Central and South America, have been shaken.
Within the U.S., not only members of Congress from the minority Democratic Party — as would be expected — but also from the majority Republican Party have voiced criticism about “extrajudicial killings” in which “No one said their name. No one said what evidence." Human rights organizations have also viewed the strikes as problematic, asserting that “the U.S. killed the people in these boats without due process”; U.S. Navy Admiral Alvin Holsey, the commander of U.S. Southern Command, who is believed to have opposed the strikes, announced his resignation.
If a superpower — a leading democratic nation — continues to deviate from the law and employs military force, diplomatic efforts and ethics around the world could decay. If the U.S. touts its “justice,” it should take concrete action to respect the rule of law and human life.
Previous article![]( "Everything Is ‘the Caribbean’")