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All the elements are in place for a strike inside Venezuela
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Diplomatic relations with Venezuela have been broken since 2019.
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In 2020, the US indicted President Maduro for narco-terrorism, placing a $15 million bounty on him, subsequently raised to $25m and now $50m.
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On January 20, Trump took office. Executive Order 14157 declared a “national emergency” and designated international drug-trafficking groups as “foreign terrorist organizations” (FTOs) and “specially designated global terrorists,” citing authority under the Alien Enemies Act.
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By February, Secretary of State Marco Rubio argued that FTOs posed an “existential threat” and laid the groundwork for treating cartels allegedly linked to President Maduro as enemy combatants.
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In May, the administration opened the path to use military force against FTOs.
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Then in July, a “secret directive” authorized military operations against FTOs at sea and on foreign soil.
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By August, the US launched a massive naval deployment off the coast of Venezuela. By October, troop deployment reportedly reached 10,000.
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On September 2, the US blew up the first of four or five alleged drug boats in international waters off of Venezuela, resulting in extrajudicial murders of the crews.
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By mid-September, the Pentagon notified Congress under the War Powers Resolution that US forces were engaged in a “non-international armed conflict” with drug cartels.
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This was followed on October 1 by the Defense Department’s “confidential memo” and more congressional briefings that the US was engaged in armed conflict.
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Trump then terminated the last back-channel diplomatic contacts with Venezuela.
Not declined military, but there have been a real significant shift to special forces. I think these groups will still be utilized for foreign industry interest. It’s pretty effective.
Ironically, assuming we don’t destroy our own infrastructure, a modern police state might better fit for the lionshare of US military. Lack of infrastructure and basic services were a huge part of the reconstruction or whatever failing in both states. Plus air superiority just comes free.
Anti-insurgency and occupation are really the only thing the military at large has proved itself capable of supporting.
I don’t think we have the capacity to invade hold, and strip mine Venezuela, but with Europe looking East, I guess we could shift to a wartime economy and make it a project.
Yeah, a military economy is a very likely scenario. The religious nutjobs the US
got handed as a government by its economic eliteelected do admire Russia so perhaps will imitate it economically…