And the bombs are relatively expensive, when bullets are cheap. Even if you don't mind eroding the rights of drug traffickers, it's a wasteful way to do the enforcement action.
The great tragedy is that bullets are also more accurate.
I don't mean to be "that guy", but how do we even know the sailors on these boats aren't just some fishermen working for the cartels because they have a guy at his shack with a gun on his mother and siblings or kids? Or, even worse, what if they aren't working for cartels at all? Just went out to try to fish.
I'm not sure what our endgame is here, but just eyeballing this from the outside it looks like we're doing surgery with chainsaws instead of scalpels.
And all that assumes that our government is actually trying to help. Our end goal could be something else entirely? It's all just mystifying right now? I'm not sure anyone could give a coherent explanation of the why's, and I'm just about certain that no one could give a rational explanation of the how.
I feel like we could do better, quite easily. People are very gung-ho (jing-go?) on this and it seems clear to me that we can use our significant technological advantages and investigatory prowess to target these bad actors just like any other day at the office.
This is quite the departure and it is quite troubling to me. The ESA launch site is down there iirc, seems like we have natural allies who would join a push, but instead we sent a carrier group.
At least one of the "why"s is very simple. Trump likes to act in ways which make him look powerful, and which make others respect and fear him.
I think another "why" is ratcheting up the pressure on Venezuela, because Trump has decided or been persuaded to embark on a program of regime change for Venezuela.
I don't actually understand why regime change in Venezuela is important to Trump & MAGA though.
> Isn't the historical answer to why regime change usually Oil
Its usually corporate/capital interests; oil has been popular for a while, but, its hardly exclusive. We didn’t get the name “banana republic” from US interventions over oil, after all.
If I'm considering becoming a drug runner, and I hear "sometimes they arrest you" I'd say "so what?" If I hear "sometimes you get shot at", I'd take my chances and shoot back. But if I keep hearing about missiles obliterating drug runners with no warning... maybe I just stay home.
> If I hear "sometimes you get shot at", I'd take my chances and shoot back. But if I keep hearing about missiles obliterating drug runners with no warning... maybe I just stay home.
Given some of the things competing cartels do to each other, getting instantaneously killed by a bomb is probably a relief compared to what some of your 'competitors' may do.
> compared to what some of your 'competitors' may do.
Or your boss. Once you're working for a drug cartel, I don't think you have a whole lot of autonomy when it comes to determining your specific role. If your boss tells you to get in a fishing boat and you refuse, you risk getting killed on the spot.
Drug cartels don't necessarily work like tech companies, where you consider the job postings, apply, sign a contract, and then do the job. It might even be that they need a drug runner and just say "do it or we kill your family".
