Trump’s saber-rattling in Venezuela is illegal | Kenneth Roth

Trump's threats against the country and attacks on nearby boats cannot be justified under international law

We should not be surprised that Donald Trump, having had no problem aiding and abetting Israel's genocide in Gaza, is willing to flout the law when it comes to his bellicose threats to Venezuela and his lethal attacks on nearby alleged drug-running boats. Living up to the No Kings" fears expressed by protesters across the United States, Trump acts as if he is above the law. The only way to rein in such criminality is to show his followers the dangerous implications of his conduct.

Despite his administration's vow to launch no more open-ended conflicts", Trump has summoned an aircraft carrier to the Caribbean Sea and is already sending military helicopters provocatively near the Venezuelan coast. The Trump administration denies that its goal is regime change, but that certainly seems to be the purpose, as some officials privately concede. Ousting Venezuela's autocratic leader, Nicolas Maduro, has long been a goal of Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state.