US reportedly to launch new phase of operations against Venezuela – US politics live | US politics
The United States would be ready for the next phase of military operations in Venezuela
Trump has stepped up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and has now labeled him and his government allies as members of a foreign terrorist organization.
The designation is another step toward criminalizing Maduro – analysts say it could pressure Maduro to resign under threat of military force.
It also potentially gives the United States expanded military options to strike inside the country, US media reports.
Reports of imminent action have increased in recent weeks as the US military has deployed warships to the Caribbean amid deteriorating relations.
Reuters had an alarming exclusive yesterday, saying the United States was poised to launch a new phase of operations in the coming days, according to four unnamed U.S. officials.
The exact timeline or scope of the new operations is unknown, nor is it clear whether Trump has made the final decision to act, Reuters reported.
Key events
Maduro warned Trump of ‘forever war’
in a context of growing tensions with the United States. Photograph: Miguel Gutiérrez/EPA
Venezuela’s authoritarian President Nicolás Maduro has accused the United States of seeking to “bombard and invade” the South American country.
Just 10 days ago, he warned Trump not to drag the United States into an Afghanistan-style “forever war.” The comments come after the arrival in the region of the US Navy’s flagship aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford, the world’s largest.
Speaking to CNN outside the Miraflores presidential palace in Venezuela’s capital Caracas on November 14, Maduro called on Trump to make peace, not war.
“No more forever wars. No more unjust wars. No more Libya. No more Afghanistan. Long live peace,” Maduro, 62, said as he pushed his way through crowds of supporters.
Earlier in the week, he announced what he called a “massive deployment” of land, sea, air, river and missile forces, as well as civilian militias, to counter the US naval presence off his country’s coast.
A timely opinion piece from Daniel Mendiola, professor of Latin American history and migration studies at Vassar College, this morning on the situation currently unfolding in Venezuela.
Over the past two months, U.S. forces have gathered outside Venezuela and carried out a series of deadly strikes against civilian boats. The Trump White House ordered these actions in the name of combating “narcoterrorists” – a label apparently applicable to anyone suspected of participating in drug trafficking near the shores of Latin America.
More than 80 people have already been killed in these pre-emptive strikes, and war hawks are calling for broader military action to remove Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
While on the surface Trump’s second term has been characterized by a disorienting barrage of executive orders and culture war polemics, the administration has in fact pursued a consistent authoritarian strategy aimed at vesting near-unlimited powers in the presidency. These concerted efforts have manifested themselves in many policy areas, from immigration to higher education to the economy and even determining who is a citizen.
Consistent with this pattern, Trump asserts the same unchecked authority over the violent capabilities of the U.S. military.
Likewise, the Trump White House asserts the absolute right to define the term “terrorist,” as well as the corresponding right to take deadly action with virtually no outside oversight.
In public statements, Trump has defended treating drug dealers as terrorists by citing the harm caused by drug overdoses, in effect suggesting that drug dealers directly kill American citizens. Ignoring the fact that Venezuela does not produce fentanyl, the main culprit in overdoses in the United States, Trump even went so far as to make the mathematically impossible claim that each boat strike saved 25,000 lives. Of course, authorities have provided no public evidence that the attacked boats were carrying drugs, much less attempted to explain how exploding the boats would have any impact on drug abuse in the United States.
But then again, why would they? The whole point of the argument is that such facts don’t matter because Trump simply has the unchecked power to use deadly force.
The United States would be ready for the next phase of military operations in Venezuela
Trump has stepped up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and has now labeled him and his government allies as members of a foreign terrorist organization.
The designation is another step toward criminalizing Maduro – analysts say it could pressure Maduro to resign under threat of military force.
It also potentially gives the United States expanded military options to strike inside the country, US media reports.
Reports of imminent action have increased in recent weeks as the US military has deployed warships to the Caribbean amid deteriorating relations.
Reuters had an alarming exclusive yesterday, saying the United States was poised to launch a new phase of operations in the coming days, according to four unnamed U.S. officials.
The exact timeline or scope of the new operations is unknown, nor is it clear whether Trump has made the final decision to act, Reuters reported.
Good morning
And welcome to our live blog about American politics. My name is Frances Mao and I will present to you the main developments over the next few hours.
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The United States and Ukraine say they have made progress in negotiations to end the war with Russia, with Marco Rubio announcing amendments to a “refined” draft agreement.
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However, Donald Trump lashed out at Ukraine’s leaders, saying kyiv had shown “no gratitude”.
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His administration also designated Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as a member of a foreign terrorist organization, which could allow new sanctions to be applied. Reports also emerged over the weekend that the U.S. military may be ready to enter a new phase of operations in the Caribbean this week. More on this soon.
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The resignation of Maga loyalist-turned-rebel Marjorie Taylor Greene is a warning sign for Trump, analysts say. The Georgia congresswoman had once been one of Trump’s most vocal allies, but she announced her departure Friday, following a public row over the Epstein files, saying she refused to be a “battered wife.”
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And Trump’s so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” (Doge) — run by Elon Musk for the past few months — was disbanded with eight months left in his term, ending a high-profile initiative that had been a symbol of Trump’s pledge to shrink the size of government but which critics say produced few measurable savings.
