Washington [SU], December 3: US President Donald Trump's pressure campaign on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government is at risk of becoming a political and legal quagmire.
Reuters reported yesterday (December 2) that Mr. Trump summoned top security officials to the White House to discuss the next steps for the campaign that is spiraling out of control.
Shortly before, President Maduro danced in front of a crowd of supporters at a December 1 rally in the capital Caracas, quelling rumors that he had accepted US demands to leave the country.
According to Western media, Mr. Trump in a phone call in November is said to have given Mr. Maduro an ultimatum to leave Venezuela , while Washington increased its military presence and repeatedly announced early ground action in the Latin American country. However, Mr. Maduro gave many conditions that Mr. Trump did not accept. The deadline for Mr. Maduro to leave passed on November 28. A day later, Mr. Trump announced that all Venezuelan airspace was closed. Mr. Maduro's appearance on December 1 was seen as a strong message sent to the White House. "We do not want the peace of slaves, the peace of colonies," Mr. Maduro said at the event.
According to CNN, Mr. Maduro's move puts Mr. Trump in a dilemma. Mr. Trump's choice of a soft solution instead of military action could affect his reputation and deterrence, as his threats could be seen as empty words. On the contrary, if he acts strongly, the US risks getting involved in a military conflict abroad with many consequences, something Mr. Trump has always avoided.
The Trump administration, on the other hand, is embroiled in another domestic crisis involving the September 2 attack to "wipe out" survivors of a suspected drug smuggling ship in the Caribbean . After the first attack, the military discovered two survivors and orders were given to carry out a second attack. Critics warn that attacking survivors instead of taking prisoners is illegal. According to The Washington Post , Secretary of War Pete Hegseth verbally instructed Admiral Frank Bradley, commander of the Special Operations Command, to kill all survivors.
The Republican-controlled Senate and House Armed Services Committees have opened separate investigations into the incident. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt acknowledged that Hegseth authorized Bradley to carry out the strike and said the admiral acted within his authority and within the law. Leavitt said the second strike was carried out in "self-defense" and highlighted the allegations that the subjects were bringing drugs to harm Americans. Bradley will brief congressional investigators on the incident on December 4.
Source: Thanh Nieu Newspaper
