Tense Caribbean Sea The US steps up pressure on Venezuela

A new hotspot is slowly but surely emerging in the world. We are talking about Venezuela, off whose coast the United States has deployed a naval group since the summer, consisting of several destroyers, an amphibious assault ship, landing ships, and even a submarine. In early November, the largest aircraft carrier and the most expensive warship in the world, the USS Gerald R. Ford, arrived in the Caribbean Sea.

Since the beginning of September, the U.S. has sunk twenty ships in the Caribbean Sea, which, according to U.S. officials, were linked to drug trafficking from Venezuela. Furthermore, U.S. authorities claim that the president of this South American country, Nicolás Maduro, personally leads a drug cartel, in which units of the Venezuelan armed forces are allegedly involved. The U.S. has announced a $50 million reward for Maduro’s capture — the highest such bounty in the country’s history.

In Caracas, however, it is claimed that all the Venezuelan citizens killed were either migrants or fishermen, and it is easy to guess how they view the accusation that their president is involved in drug trafficking.

Venezuelans, as well as Trump’s critics in the United States, claim that the fight against drug trafficking is merely a smokescreen, concealing Washington’s true objective: to overthrow the ruling anti-Western United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and seize control of all Venezuela’s oil reserves. The country possesses the largest proven oil reserves in the world. Control over Venezuelan oil, according to some observers, would also allow the United States to manipulate oil prices and influence Russia’s oil revenues. Commentators also point to the presence in Venezuela of vast reserves of other strategically important mineral resources.

Overall, the removal of one of the “passionate socialist outgrowths” in the form of Venezuela from the body of South America is likely viewed in the White House as a security priority and fits neatly into the Monroe Doctrine, according to which the U.S. has the right to exercise geopolitical control over the entire Western Hemisphere.

Whatever the reasons mentioned above, one thing is clear — the United States is serious. In addition to the warships listed earlier, the number of personnel involved is also impressive — around 12,000 U.S. Navy sailors and Marines.

However, military analysts note that the U.S. is unlikely to carry out a full-scale military operation against Venezuela for fear of falling into a guerrilla war trap. They also point to the high risk of military coups in Venezuela, which could bring even more radical politicians to power than Maduro. Another consideration against a military operation is the likely rise in civil unrest within the United States itself.

Overall, analysts agree that the United States’ primary objective is to escalate the situation to a point where Maduro and his inner circle are compelled to leave the country of their own accord, while any potential U.S. military action against Venezuela would be limited to targeted strikes. For now, the U.S. government has not confirmed any plans for military attacks on the Bolivarian Republic. At the same time, Trump has declared that Maduro’s days as president are numbered. The American president also stated that he is ready to talk to Maduro at a certain period of time, hinting that he sees a possible diplomatic path. Maduro, for his part, has stressed that he is open to dialogue with his American counterpart, Donald Trump.

The question is what each side considers a compromise. It appears that Trump insists on Maduro stepping down under any circumstances in exchange for de-escalation. Maduro, who is clearly displeased with such a scenario and senses that the Americans are not particularly eager to become embroiled in a war, is trying to buy time and negotiate terms that would allow him to remain in power.

As is often the case, the victor will be the one with the stronger nerves.