“Perceptions” by Gerry Warner

Op-Ed Commentary

Talk about “overkill.”

Last week the Donald Trump administration sent the world’s biggest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford, into the Caribbean Sea to chase alleged Venezuelan drug shipping craft smuggling deadly drugs destined for the US.

Few would deny that dangerous drugs like fentanyl and cocaine make up some of the illicit cargo bound for America. But the warm waters of the Caribbean are also home to a major fishing industry that supplies product to millions of fish consumers all through North America including Canada and her no longer friendly neighbour to the south.

Talk about using a sledgehammer to crush a flea. This must set a record. But we all know Donald Trump likes to “double-down” on those he imagines are his enemy.

According to the US Navy, the USS Gerald R Ford is considered a “Super Ship” and is billed by the US Navy as “the most capable, adaptable, and lethal combat platform in the world.” The huge behemoth joins a group of smaller battleships that have already tasted blood and with the entry of the Gerald R Ford into the fray are likely to taste even more.

But how much of that blood spilled will belong to dangerous drug dealers and how much will come from innocent fishermen just trying to support their families?  No one knows for sure. But in the vagaries of war, many innocents get killed as we were so painfully reminded of last week.

Despite this, the Commander in Chief is considering ordering a painful escalation of the ongoing drug wars that are plaguing much of North America and other parts of the world.

According to the Washington Post, some 15,000 American troops are already in the Venezuela region including seven battleships, several guided missile cruisers, destroyers, amphibious ships and now the SS Gerald R Ford. According to the Post article, the American show of force marks “a stunning presence” in a region that historically has seen only one or two US Navy vessels at a time with US Coast Guard ships conducting routine drug searches.

Meanwhile, speculation is mounting in Washington DC that Trump is considering a regime change in Venezuela that would rid the poverty-stricken country of its corrupt anti-democratic President Nicolás Maduro. Trump has accused Maduro of sending drugs and violent criminals to the US as well as being the source of thousands of illegal migrants.

Flying back to Mar-a-Lago Friday, Trump told reporters he has “sort of made up my mind” about whether he will initiate military action against Venezuela.

This coming from a political leader who has publicly said many times he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for his peace-seeking role in the Gaza ceasefire. Some may agree, but surely Trump’s pleadings have given new meaning to the word hypocrisy.

But as Trump “sort of” makes up his mind on attacking Venezuela two other factors are sure to play a major role in his decision – oil and China.

According to EOG Magazine, the standard in the oil industry, Venezuela holds the largest proven crude oil reserves in the world, estimated at 303 billion barrels. If you think the energy-short US isn’t interested in this fact you’ve been smoking too many of those funny cigarettes.

China, on the other hand, has the world’s second largest economy and according to most economists will surpass the US in less than a decade. These two factors are critical to the geo-politics that run the world today and they are critical to events happening in the Caribbean Sea.

Wouldn’t it be nice if a bloody little war broke out in the Caribbean at a time when the US is rocked by scandal and distracted by alleged events that slither up to the highest levels of office?

Just speculating.

– Gerry Warner is a retired journalist who likes to look behind the headlines.

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