War in Venezuela, Brought to You By the Same People Who Lied Us Into Iraq

Supporters of President Nicolás Maduro participate in a march to swear in the Bolivarian Grassroots Committees in Caracas, Venezuela, on Nov. 15, 2025. Photo: Pedro Mattey/Anadolu via Getty Images

Alain Stephens is an investigative reporter covering gun violence, arms trafficking, and federal law enforcement.

The United States is amassing power off Venezuela’s coast. Warships, Marine detachments, and surveillance aircraft are flowing into the Caribbean under the banner of “counter-narcotics operations.” Military officials have presented Donald Trump with various game plans for potential operations. The U.S. president is openly tying Nicolás Maduro to narco-terror networks and cartel structures, while dangling both “talks” and threatening the use of military force in the same brea