For the past decade drone strikes have been a way for the US to assert its dominance over the rest of the world by using drones to do their dirty work….Yemen, Syria, Somalia, etc….and now the Trump Administration is considering a new target….No it is not Iran (for now)….
They are considering using drones against Mexican cartels.
The Trump administration is considering launching drone strikes against cartels in Mexico in an effort to stem the flow of fentanyl and other drugs through the southern border, NBC News reported on Tuesday.
The report, which cited multiple former and current US officials, said the discussions were still in the early stages, but the administration has taken steps toward taking military action against cartels, including designating them as “terrorist organizations” and stepping up CIA drone flights over Mexico.
The report said that the Trump administration would prefer to launch drone strikes against cartels in cooperation with the Mexican government but is not ruling out launching unilateral military action, which would significantly rupture US-Mexico relations.
In response to the report, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum rejected the idea of any unilateral US action. “We reject any form of intervention or interference. That’s been very clear, Mexico coordinates and collaborates, but does not subordinate itself. There is no interference, nor will there be,” Sheinbaum said.
The Mexican leader added, “While this idea hasn’t been formally proposed, we’ve made it clear that it wouldn’t address the root of the issue. What truly works is ongoing attention to root causes, arrests driven by intelligence and investigation, coordination, and zero tolerance for impunity. We categorically reject any such actions, and we don’t believe they will happen. There is a strong, ongoing dialogue on security and many other matters.”
The Wall Street Journal reported in February that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had threatened Mexican military officials that the US could take unilateral military action in Mexico. The report said Hegseth threatened action “if Mexico didn’t deal with the collusion between the country’s government and drug cartels.”
While the Trump administration wants to reduce the flow of fentanyl, opponents of turning the drug war into a hot war have warned it’s unlikely to have that effect. Daniel DePetris, a fellow at Defense Priorities, pointed out in a post on X that if the demand for fentanyl still exists in the US, then cartels or other criminal organizations would still be willing to manufacture the drug and smuggle it across the US border.
“If demand for the drug is still high, the cartels—or independent criminal syndicates—will have a financial incentive to continue manufacturing, even if it comes at the risk of death (these guys are already risking death by being in a cartel). There is a lot of money to be made,” DePetris said.
Military action against the cartels also comes with a risk of bringing a hot war to US territory since the organizations are known to have a presence inside the US and also possess advanced weapons that could even be fired across the US-Mexico border.
(antiwar.com)
Let’s be honest drone strikes have killed more civilians than bad guys….so is using them against Mexico a good idea?
I guess in some warped thinking it would be better for the use of drones than a once consider using the US military in an invasion type operation.
But this idea like the use of military personnel should be scrapped.
Just wondering.
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”
If you keep talking Common Sense, someone might listen. It won’t be Trump though as he considers himself always in the right, but it might stop Hegseth if Trump thinks he is making decisions on his own.
I can only hope that someone is listening….I think he can make his own decision but has to clear it through the idiot. chuq
this whole situation is getting completely out of hand. That bunch of sniveling cowards in the Congress had, for decades now, yielded more and more of its legal authority to the executive branch so they don’t have to go back home and take the blame for uncomfortable decisions
That is the key….they can, like Trump, blame someone else…..they are cowards….period chuq
I’m already convinced that the US has been operating against Mexican cartels with both special forces and long-range air strikes. Stating they will use drones is just taking it out into the open. Such actions rarely end well.
Best wishes, Pete.
Out in the open will be interesting to see how the MSM reports on any usage. chuq
So what guarantees would these drone strikes offer us? Can we be “guaranteed” to totally wipe out the cartels? Hmmm.
The promise is more civilian deaths and the cartels keep doing what they are already doing…this should be a non-starter. chuq