Illustrative image. (U.S. Army)
Tensions between the United States and Venezuela reached a new level on November 29, with President Donald Trump announcing that the airspace “ABOVE AND SURROUNDING” the Latin American country has been “CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.”
“To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY. Thank you for your attention to this matter! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP,” he wrote on Truth Social.
The tensions began back in August when the Trump administration doubled the reward for the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to $50 million on drug trafficking charges and dispatched an amphibious ready group led by the USS Iwo Jima landing helicopter dock to the Caribbean Sea to counter drug cartels.
Earlier this month, the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, and its strike group joined USS Iwo Jima in the Caribbean.
The U.S. military has already targeted some 21 boats alleged to be carrying drugs in both the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific Ocean. The strikes, which began in September, have so far claimed the lives of at least 83 people, all alleged drug traffickers.
On November 24, the U.S. The State Department designated Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles a foreign terrorist organization. The decision is significant as many in the Trump administration, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, consider Maduro to be the head of the cartel, an accusation that Caracas has denied.
Despite the designation, The New York Times reported on November 28 that Trump spoke to Maduro on the phone last week and the two discussed a potential meeting, although one was not scheduled.
NYT in October reported Maduro had offered the U.S. a “significant stake” in Venezuela’s oil reserves, which are the largest in the world, in order to improve the relationship with the Trump administration and as a way to remain in power. The U.S. cut those talks off earlier this month, however.
The Venezuelan government condemned Trump’s latest fiery remarks, calling them in a statement a “colonialist threat” against the country’s sovereignty and incompatible with international law.
Recent weeks saw a notable uptake in U.S. military activities over the Caribbean close to Venezuela. The country has been preparing for a military confrontation since October.
Despite all escalation, Trump appears to be still hesitant about using military force in Venezuela. While the U.S. will be justifying any action by claiming that it is attacking drug cartels, ultimately the administration hopes to see Maduro gone. There are no guarantees that any action will lead to this without causing chaos.
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nothing to see here, just a big bluff.
maduro will do the people of venezuela no favours by trying to please a bully. best to send uncle sam home with a bloody nose, like cuba did once. the usadmin isn’t really after deals anyway. they want total control of everything. no deals after that, only demands.
give uncle sammy and donny shabbos a good hard kick in the balls. it’s the only things they understand.