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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.
They have attacked Venezuela
First line of the article, folks.
Headlines shouldn’t end with a question mark. When I see a headline with a question mark, it screams to me that it is click bait and not worth reading.
Didn’t ask.
Well you wanted to be snarky about the shitty article so I’m telling you
It’s a succinct article that lays out a timeline of events so we can better discuss the possibility of invasion. It takes care of the basics, so we can move to the geopolitical. How much can the US escalate? How much is bluster? How much of the bluster is so politically insane that it must be followed through on? There is a reason General MacArthur never became president.
Then don’t use a click bait headline if you want people to take it seriously
It’s remarkable that you think there is some sort of point to be made about how it’s good you don’t click before commenting, and I will take it seriously. You seem crabby and have nothing to add, so please go away.
There is a point. It could have had a decent title and I would have read it and we could have engaged in more meaningful discussion but alas, here we are debating clickbait titles. You seem defensive, I wonder why.
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