Critics, including Colombian President Gustavo Petro and U.S. lawmakers, challenge the legality of unilateral strikes and the lack of evidence linking Venezuela’s captured ex-leader Nicolás Maduro directly to cartels. “Under President Trump, for the first time in history, the Department of War is on offense against narco-terrorists in our hemisphere,” he told military leaders at the Western Hemisphere Chiefs of Defense Conference, attended by representatives from 34 nations. As the administration presses forward, the conflict risks deepening tensions in a region already wary of U.S. intervention—while raising the specter of a prolonged, militarized drug war with unpredictable consequences.
Author: Kevin Hughes
Published at: 2026-02-18 23:30:11
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