The New Play in the Caribbean

The old model in U.S. Southern Command waters was simple: find the go-fast, warn it, disable it if needed , board, bag the evidence, and march the crew to court. This month, Washington flipped that script on its head. On September 2, U.S. forces conducted a “precision strike” on a small boat that had departed Venezuela, killing 11 aboard. Video of the attack was posted online soon after. Two weeks later, the White House said a second suspected drug boat was hit , killing three more. That’s at least 14 dead across two actions—without a single public photo of seized narcotics.

The policy rationale has been equally blunt: treat the cartels like terrorists and treat their boats like enemy craft. Supporters say overdose deaths make this

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