Armed Conflict? Trump’s Venezuela Boat Strikes Test U.S. Law (Matthew C. Waxman – Council on Foreign Relations)

The U.S. military has struck at least four vessels that originated from Venezuela since the start of September, killing more than twenty people. President Donald Trump and his administration have alleged that these boats were carrying narcotics and were operated by Venezuelan cartels, like Tren de Aragua, which it designated a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) earlier this year. The White House has framed the operations as acts of national self-defense against “narco-terrorism” in the Caribbean Sea.

Armed Conflict? Trump’s Venezuela Boat Strikes Test U.S. Law | Council on Foreign Relations