LOS ANGELES (OC).–Saying he was closing the door on negotiations over Venezuela drug trafficking, President Donald Trump informed Amb. Richard Grenell that he was ending talks with President Nicolas Maduro who denies government involvement in drug cartels. Marduro might be right that his country has no control over drug cartels but that hasn’t stopped Trump from targeting ships carrying drugs from Venezuela to the United States. Marduro had ignored Trump’s requests to step down, denying all charges that his government has anything to do with drug cartels ferrying primarily cocaine to the United States, Trump claims the Venezuela has become a major hub for Colombian cocaine, leaving Trump frustrated with progress to stop the flow of narcotics to the U.S. Trump has carried out at least four attacks on maritime vessels believed carrying narcotics.
Trump calls Venezuela a narco-trafficking, narco-terrorist state but whether or not the Venezuelan government is actually involved in narco-trafficking isn’t know. Like the same problem in Mexico, the government of President Claudia Sheinbaum also denies the Mexican government protects the drug cartels or at least agrees to stay out of the enforcement business. In Mexico, local government officials are subject to death squads by Mexican drug cartels, making enforcement all the more difficult for the government. Sounds like a similar problem exists in Venezuela where Maduro turns a blind eye to allow narco-traffickers to go about their business without government intervention. Trump reportedly told Grenell that he was discontinuing talks with the Maduro government. Grenell has been serving as a special envoy trying to stop Venezuelan narco-trafficking.
Grenell operated as a special envoy to Venezuela, hoping to make progress on diplomacy, without resorting to military intervention. Legal experts question whether Trump has the authority in international waters primarily in the Gulf of Mexico to strike Venezuelan ships believed trafficking in cocaine and other drugs. Trump informed Grenell that the time for diplomacy has ended for the time being before Maduro takes naro-terrorism more seriously, something he hasn’t done. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, 75, said Trump’s military actions on Venezuelan ships amounted to illegal piracy on the high seas, demanding that Trump’s actions stop. Russia, as a major oil producer and part of OPEC, has been a close political ally of Venezuela. Trump showed that he has no plans to resume negotiation unless Maduro has a change in heart.
Trump is the first U.S. president to use the U.S. military to go directly after the Venezuelan narco-trafficking industry. Legal experts question whether or not Venezuela can be held accountable for its drug cartels that run their businesses as they see fit. Maduro apparently wrote a letter to Trump in September, reportedly denying any involvement by the Venezuelan government. Trump wants Maduro to crack down on drug cartels that have free reign when it comes to narco-trafficking, especially cartels closely tied the Colombian drug trade. Whether Grenell was making any progress keeping diplomatic channels open is anyone’s guess. Trump doesn’t like Maduro’s attitude with regard to U.S. intervention. Maduro thinks that Trump has engaged in extra-judicial or vigilante justice against Venezuelan narco-traffickers, something he denies responsibility.
Trump might be playing hard ball with Maduro, threatening to take more military intervention if Venezuela doesn’t get serious about cracking down on narco-trafficking. Chances are that Maduro can do nothing, remains at the mercy of drug cartels or, worse yet, actually collects kickbacks from the drug trade. Trump probably thinks that Maduro gets kickbacks, preferring to leave the current system intact. When it comes to Grenell, he did a good job of keeping diplomacy open, rather that dealing with complaints from foreign government that the U.S. is engaged in extra-judicial killings. Trump campaigned on a promise to keep out of foreign wars, something that’s plagued him in Ukraine, where the European Union has taken over the peacemaking role, sidelining the White House. Trump would like to press on for a peace deal but it’s not happening.
Telling Venezuelan envoy Richard Grenell to stop making overtures to the Maduro government is a new threat to for peace in the region. Narco-trafficking is serious business for Trump, promising to reduce the drug trade in the U.S. Using the military to target ships in the Gulf of Mexico raises serious legal issues, including international law. Trump can’t be 100% certain that his targets in the Gulf are actually drug traffickers without any proof, making military operations a dicey proposition. Russia and other countries have opposed U.S. actions calling them a new form of vigilante justice. Whether that’s true or not, there’s a big difference in the rules of war than the narco-trafficking business. Calling it a drug war doesn’t make military strikes any more legitimate. Getting embroiled in regime change in Venezuela would be another foreign quagmire.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
