NYT Report: Trump Authorizes US Military Actions in Latin America, Bypassing Congress

The president of the United States, Donald Trump, secretly signed a directive allowing the Pentagon to use armed forces in the fight against cartels, which are considered terrorist organizations by Washington, reported The New York Times.

The measure comes a day after the White House announced that it was increasing the reward to $50 million for anyone who provides information that contributes to the capture of the president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, whom it accuses, without evidence, of being associated with the defunct criminal gang Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa cartel, both declared “terrorist organizations” by Washington.

The secret order, leaked by the US mainstream newspaper The New York Times, is aimed at providing an official basis for conducting direct military operations at sea and on foreign soil against the cartels. These operations are illegal and a flagrant violation of the national sovereignty of the countries where the US intends to act.

Moreover, US regulations state that Congress must authorize the deployment of forces abroad in wartime situations, meaning that the legal coverage for purely police operations, such as dismantling a cartel or arresting its members, is ignored.

Venezuela
In January, the US State Department designated several cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, including the defunct Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. Two weeks ago, the Trump administration added the fictitious Cartel de los Soles to its list of global terrorist groups and named Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as the leader of that organization.

Venezuelan Minister of the Interior, Justice, and Peace Diosdado Cabello highlighted the lack of evidence for the existence of the Cartel de los Soles and called it a US “invention.” “I do not know how many years ago they invented that, and in that time, it has had about 300 leaders. Every time someone bothers the US, it makes them the leader of the Cartel de los Soles.”

Based on sources who were aware of the secret decree signed by Trump, the US newspaper highlights as a precedent the accusations from Washington directed toward Maduro. It added that the US military has already conducted joint anti-drug training exercises with other countries, but “Trump’s new directive seems to foresee a different approach, focused on US forces capturing or directly killing those involved.”

All of this comes at a time when Venezuelan authorities are on alert following a thwarted attempt at a terrorist attack in downtown Caracas, which they claim was orchestrated by the United States.

In fact, Cabello made the aforementioned statements during a press conference reporting the authorities’ actions to prevent the attack. According to his details, a total of 13 people were arrested carrying a bag with explosive devices, analog phones, three kilograms of TNT explosive, and other strategic materials.

This attack, directed at a crowded location in central Caracas, was allegedly coordinated by far-right politician María Corina Machado in collaboration with US officials. Cabello pointed out that the attack was to be carried out in a location crucial for the city’s public transportation system.

Interior Minister of Venezuela: Cartel of the Suns is a US Lie

Mexico
The president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, was asked about this measure by Trump during her morning press conference on Friday, August 8, but she downplayed the impact of militarization in the fight against drug trafficking in the US. “It has nothing to do with Mexican territory; it has to do with their country, within the United States,” she said, dismissing the possibility of US troops entering Mexico.

“The United States is not going to come to Mexico with the military,” she continued. “We cooperate, but they are not coming. That is absolutely ruled out. We have stated it in all the calls—it is not allowed nor is it part of any agreement.”

Regarding the alleged connection of Nicolás Maduro with cartels in Mexico, the Mexican president stated that it is the first time that she heard it, and affirmed that there is no active investigation or evidence in Mexico regarding the matter.

Previous interventions
There is a long history of US interventions in Latin America and the Caribbean through the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), other special services, and its armed forces.

One of the most emblematic cases was in 1989, with the invasion of Panama to capture President Manuel Noriega, accused of drug trafficking. This case was condemned by the UN as “a flagrant violation of international law.” Similarly, the United States was behind the coup in Chile in 1973, where the CIA actively supported the overthrow and assassination of the socialist President Salvador Allende, installing the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet in his place.

Similarly, in 1954, the CIA orchestrated the overthrow of Guatemalan President Jacobo Árbenz, who promoted agrarian reforms that affected the interests of the US-based United Fruit Company. In 1961, the Eisenhower administration authorized the Bay of Pigs invasion in Cuba as a failed attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro. Meanwhile, in the 1970s and 1980s, Operation Condor carried out the repression and assassination of political opponents throughout the region.

In more recent years, the United States has continued its interference through soft coups and destabilizing actions. In 2009, Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was abducted and overthrown in a coup backed by Washington, which immediately recognized the illegitimate government of Porfirio Lobo and then installed a narco-dictatorship in the country.

In 2012, Paraguay experienced a parliamentary coup against Fernando Lugo, and in 2016, Brazil suffered the illegitimate ousting of Dilma Rousseff, both processes with evident US backing. Additionally, attempts at assassination have been documented, such as the drone attack against Nicolás Maduro in 2018, as well as multiple efforts to destabilize progressive governments in Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador through economic wars, sabotage, and the promotion of violence. These actions reflect a continuity in the US interventionist policy to impose regimes aligned with its interests in the region.

 

(Telesur)

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

OT/SC/SF