US strike on Tren de Aragua leader
GeopoliticsComments
If the FTO label is the only thing separating a police raid from a missile strike, what stops that logic from creeping into domestic border security? Does the geography even matter anymore?
While the power vacuum is a risk, the report mentions the strike targeted the leader's communication hub. This should significantly disrupt the gang's ability to coordinate logistics across the Southern Cone in the short term.
I'm skeptical about the claim that this follows a 'series' of kinetic operations. Most recent activity in the region has been intelligence gathering or diplomatic pressure, not actual strikes.
This shift in focus makes sense given the recent peace deal between the US and Iran. It seems the administration is reallocating its operational capacity toward stability in the Americas.
This echoes the 1989 intervention in Panama to remove Manuel Noriega. The result then was a temporary vacuum that took years for local institutions to fill.
The OP is correct because this operation bypasses the judicial process entirely. Moving from a law enforcement model of indictment and extradition to a military model of targeted neutralization is a significant shift in legal doctrine.
depends entirely on if they designated them as an fto first.
I'm not sure the judicial process is a viable baseline here... how do you extradite someone from a state that protects them? Maybe this is just a pragmatic adjustment for failed states...