FLASH
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President Donald Trump seems increasingly close to launching a strike against Venezuela. After announcing that he had made a decision on his strategy, the US military presence in the Caribbean has been consolidated with the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier, off the coast of the country, which arrived in the region a few days ago.
In addition to what is described as the US Navy's "lethal combat platform", the United States has assembled approximately 15,000 military personnel, along with more than a dozen warships, including a cruiser, a destroyer, an air and missile defense command ship, amphibious assault ships and an attack submarine.
They have also deployed 10 advanced F-35 fighters to Puerto Rico, which has become a hub for the US military as part of its growing focus on the Caribbean.
Rear Admiral Paul Lanzilotta, commander of the USS Ford strike group, explained that this will bolster the already large deployment of warships to "protect the security and prosperity of our nation from narcoterrorism in the Western Hemisphere."
The Trump administration insists that these measures are intended to cut off the flow of drugs into the United States, but in reality, these efforts are seen as a tactic to increase pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Since early September, US strikes have killed at least 80 people in 20 raids on small boats accused of transporting drugs in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean.
Maduro has claimed that Washington is "manufacturing" a war against him, and Caracas recently announced a "massive" mobilization of troops and civilians to defend itself against possible U.S. attacks. Meanwhile, Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado has called for military disobedience and stressed that "the decisive moment is near."
Meanwhile, according to Politico, the White House is working on the "day after" of Maduro in Venezuela, evaluating various plans if it succeeds in overthrowing the regime. As revealed by a US official and two other informed sources, one of the options being considered is to offer Maduro and his close associates safe passage to another country for exile. "Some Trump administration officials are talking about exile in Turkey," they explained, "unless they agree to go to Russia or Azerbaijan. Or maybe Cuba." Another option is to arrest Maduro and put him on trial in the United States.
There are also discussions about which sanctions should be lifted and when: some officials favor a role for the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in rebuilding the Venezuelan economy. And there is even talk of encouraging private security firms, perhaps from other countries, to provide initial protection for the new leadership, if they are close to Washington.
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