Why the United States Has a Right to Bomb the Venezuelan Drug Boats 

Originally published by RealClear World

The recent U.S. maritime strikes against Venezuelan drug boats under Operation Southern Spear have drawn familiar outrage from elites in academia and the media. These critics insist that if the Venezuelan drug boats are legitimate military targets, President Trump needs congressional authorization to strike them. And if they’re merely criminal enterprises, President Trump should respond with law enforcement, not missiles. The concern is not limited to Washington: the United Kingdom has reportedly paused certain intelligence sharing over fears that it could be used to potentially violate international law. These objections fundamentally misperceive the nature of the threat.

To understand why the administration has the legal and moral authority to act militarily, we need to first understand the target. What the United States faces in the Caribbean is not ordinary crime. It’s a hybrid, state-sponsored campaign that blends narcotics trafficking, terrorism, and covert warfare.

The evidence is compelling: Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and others in his vast apparatus are central figures in the narcoterrorist group Cartel de los Soles.  The Cartel de los Soles is no small enterprise. It’s a sprawling network embedded in the Venezuelan state itself. According to Insight Crime, the cartel operates with “members of the presidential family, congressmen, and other corrupt officials…” and uses its connections “at the highest levels to protect its members and its interests.”

Put simply, this is not crime the Maduro regime tolerates — it is crime the Maduro regime runs.

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