The Shadows: Trump, Drug Conflicts, and the Controversial Emergence of a Murder License

The recent capsizing of a ship allegedly carrying drugs from Venezuela has troubling political and military implications. President Trump has taken the controversial measure of authorizing the U.S. military to implement shoot-to-kill orders against individuals suspected of drug trafficking.In urban centers like Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., Trump is reshaping military functions and conventional perceptions of national security by merging military personnel with law enforcement. He is reinterpreting smugglers as combatants and reclassifying drug trafficking as an act of state terrorism. This order grants military forces the right to eliminate drug dealers on sight, reminiscent of actions against the Venezuelan vessel.Former Homeland Security official Jeh Johnson expressed deep concern regarding the president’s alarming exertion of authority, particularly the lack of due process for low-level drug couriers. Moreover, this situation could serve as justification for targeting Venezuela’s leadership amidst a military escalation in the Caribbean, raising apprehensions about U.S. motives in the area. If military engagement occurs, it may be portrayed as a counter-terrorism strategy aimed at instigating regime change in Venezuela.