The diary The Washington Postdespite being owned by one of the magnates who personally supports Donald Trump -we refer to the owner of Amazon, Jeff Bezos-, has shown in recent weeks that the old paper press can cause headaches even for Trump and put his Secretary of Defense in the abyss, Pete Hegseth.
Here is the story.
The fleet of aircraft carriers deployed by Trump off Venezuela since the beginning of last August has launched around 25 attacks on small boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific. According to Trump, they are raids to defend the US against what Trump’s new National Security doctrine calls “narcoterrorism“.
The Post obtained information and images that, in one of these attacks, on December 2, there was an aftermath when two crew members were saved and remained afloat at sea. According to the Post, Admiral Frank Bradleyin charge of the operation, consulted with Secretary Hegseth what to do, who gave him the order to finish them off. Bradley complied.
The information sparked an outcry from Democrats and Republicans. And it is the subject of a parliamentary investigation. The argument is that attacking enemies adrift at sea would be a war crime. As if the 87 people who died in the attacks so far were not, given that it is not a war. That Trump does not present evidence. And that the testimonies of the families of fishermen who have been victims in the region deny their links with drug trafficking.
On Thursday, December 11, the Post went one step further: “Trump’s threats, an echo of the regime change supported by the CIA in Latin America.” As he points out: “The escalation of Maduro as a target resurrects the doctrine that has had serious and lasting consequences for the democracies and economies of America.” The photo that illustrates the information is that of Henry KissingerSecretary of State of the Nixon Administration, visiting the Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochetin Santiago, in June 1976.
The truth is that this is the new National Security Strategy of Trump. A few days after the document was released last week, Trump reported that a US Coast Guard unit had captured an oil tanker in the area, in a farce operation with judicial backing.
Trump’s new strategy makes the Monroe doctrine of 1823 as a guide for acting in Latin America. If in the 19th century the adversary was Europe, which had to be prevented from setting foot in the Southern HemisphereAmerica’s backyard, is now about keeping out China.
Problem: China is already there. And it is precisely with strong investments in Venezuela. Trump has a social and political base in Venezuela. It is what represents Maria Corina Machadowho has supported the attacks against the alleged “narcoterrorists” and has requested from Oslo, on Thursday, December 11, international support to overthrow Maduro.
But, of course, the risk of a civil confrontation It is more than a hypothesis. And its negative impact on Trump – along with the more than likely cyclical deterioration of the North American economy – requires caution. Trump would prefer a exit agreed with Maduro. Hence I had a telephone conversation with him a few weeks ago.
The Washington Post has reported that Trump is basing his actions in Venezuela on a classified memo from the Legal Advice Office (OLC) of the Department of Justice. The argument is that the US is in a “non-international armed conflict” with the so-called narcoterrorist organizations. According to this theory, the attacks are classified as part of an ongoing armed conflict, rather than a new “war”, which in the latter case would require authorization from Congress.
If, indeed, Trump responds to the request for Maria Corina MachadoWhat will happen in Spain? For months now, a media campaign by the Spanish and Venezuelan right has been developing that warns of an alleged arrest warrant for the former president. José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero that would be yet to come, based on statements by the former head of intelligence of Venezuela, Hugo Carvajalextradited from Spain to the US.
This information lacks credibility, but has been circulating for months. Madrid has become a political-media-propagandist base of the future assault on the Venezuelan government, as Miami was for the US strategy against Castro’s Cuba. And depending on Trump’s steps, it may be even more so.
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