By his own count, President Donald Trump has “settled” eight wars, from the Gaza Strip to Southeast Asia, during his nine months in office. But in a place much closer to home, he now seems determined to start one.

With dozens of warships and planes, and thousands of U.S. troops newly deployed to the Caribbean Sea, Trump has declared an “armed conflict” with drug trafficking groups he has designated international terrorists. U.S. air attacks have blown up at least seven boats that Trump has charged were carrying drugs to the United States in international waters from Venezuela, in the process killing dozens of alleged traffickers.

He has also signed a “finding,” or authorization document, for CIA covert operations in Venezuela, and charged its president, Nicolás Maduro, with being illegi

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