Exhibiting Murder on Stage
The use of military force against drug-smuggling ships has become a contentious issue, with experts on countering the drug trade expressing concerns about lawless killing abroad. This practice, which has been a subject of debate for years, gained renewed attention when President Donald Trump ordered the United States Navy to destroy small speed boats in the Caribbean.
The expansion of military force far beyond conflict zones has been a point of contention, with the use of military force to kill individuals or groups suspected of crimes, regardless of the crime, being deemed unlawful under international law on the use of force. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Killing has remained silent on the matter, but one opinion writer labelled the killings the president's most "dangerous assault on the rule of law" to date.
The infamous attempts at accommodation came in 2010 with the U.S.'s "Targeted Killings Memos" and 2016 when the U.S. said it would kill persons in states deemed "unable or unwilling" to control terrorism. However, these practices have been met with criticism from international lawyers, who argue that these killings are unlawful.
The U.S. began unilateral reinterpretations of the law on the use of force before 9/11, a move that has been a topic of discussion among legal experts. This approach was further highlighted in the case of President Trump, who ordered military action against alleged drug-carrying boats in international waters near Venezuela.
Notably, the administration placed Tren de Aragua on the State Department's Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) list earlier in the year. However, it is important to note that this criminal gang is not known for drug smuggling. The attacks on the boats resulted in the death of all individuals on board.
France ended the practice of attacking terrorism suspects after a wedding in Mali in March 2021, where 22 were killed. Some commentators described the first attack as a "performative" use of force with no material connection to national self-defense or crime suppression.
President Obama ended targeted killings of terrorism suspects in 2013, declaring them ineffective. High government officials have been accused of not caring about principles restricting the taking of human life, with the killings being designed to "send a message" rather than for any legally sanctioned purpose.
Government officials have remained largely silent about these killings, with Senator Reed, a Democrat of Rhode Island, concluding after a Department of Defense briefing that there was no positive identification that the boat was Venezuelan or that its crew were members of Tren de Aragua or any other cartel.
The U.S.'s actions in the Caribbean region have sparked a heated debate, with some arguing that the use of military force is necessary to combat the drug trade, while others maintain that such actions violate international law and undermine the rule of law. The controversy surrounding these events continues to unfold, with the future implications for international relations yet to be seen.
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