US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced his intention to declare the "Cartel de los Soles," a group he claims is led by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a foreign terrorist organization. This move is part of the Trump administration's pressure campaign against Venezuela.
According to Rubio, the Cartel de los Soles is an organized cabal of Venezuelan military officers and politicians working hand in glove with drug traffickers to oversee the shipment of massive quantities of cocaine to American shores. However, critics argue that this narrative lacks concrete evidence.
Several analysts have pointed out that there is little evidence to support the existence of the Cartel de los Soles. Phil Gunson, a Caracas-based analyst with the International Crisis Group, described the idea as "really wide of the mark." Gunson explained that the group's concept originated in the 1990s as a colloquialism used by local reporters to refer to Venezuelan military officials accused of collaborating with drug traffickers.
Experts argue that corruption is rampant in Venezuela and has been present since Hugo Chavez's rule. José De Bastos, a Venezuelan journalist based in Washington, stated that it is "pretty well known and accepted" in Venezuela that the government collaborates with drug traffickers and other criminal organizations.
The US State Department has issued sanctions against the group, but there is no clear evidence of its structure or leadership beyond Maduro. Alexander Aviña, a professor of Latin American history at Arizona State University, noted that labeling such groups as terrorists can be used to justify military action and extension of US geopolitical interests.
Rubio's push to label Maduro and his allies as terrorists has been criticized for being part of the Trump administration's broader campaign to undermine Venezuelan democracy. The effort to position Maduro as Venezuela's "drug lord-in-chief" has been described by some as a thinly veiled attempt to justify military intervention in the country.
It remains unclear whether Rubio's announcement will have any tangible impact on US policy towards Venezuela, given the lack of concrete evidence supporting the existence and structure of the Cartel de los Soles.
According to Rubio, the Cartel de los Soles is an organized cabal of Venezuelan military officers and politicians working hand in glove with drug traffickers to oversee the shipment of massive quantities of cocaine to American shores. However, critics argue that this narrative lacks concrete evidence.
Several analysts have pointed out that there is little evidence to support the existence of the Cartel de los Soles. Phil Gunson, a Caracas-based analyst with the International Crisis Group, described the idea as "really wide of the mark." Gunson explained that the group's concept originated in the 1990s as a colloquialism used by local reporters to refer to Venezuelan military officials accused of collaborating with drug traffickers.
Experts argue that corruption is rampant in Venezuela and has been present since Hugo Chavez's rule. José De Bastos, a Venezuelan journalist based in Washington, stated that it is "pretty well known and accepted" in Venezuela that the government collaborates with drug traffickers and other criminal organizations.
The US State Department has issued sanctions against the group, but there is no clear evidence of its structure or leadership beyond Maduro. Alexander Aviña, a professor of Latin American history at Arizona State University, noted that labeling such groups as terrorists can be used to justify military action and extension of US geopolitical interests.
Rubio's push to label Maduro and his allies as terrorists has been criticized for being part of the Trump administration's broader campaign to undermine Venezuelan democracy. The effort to position Maduro as Venezuela's "drug lord-in-chief" has been described by some as a thinly veiled attempt to justify military intervention in the country.
It remains unclear whether Rubio's announcement will have any tangible impact on US policy towards Venezuela, given the lack of concrete evidence supporting the existence and structure of the Cartel de los Soles.
... I mean, if there's no solid evidence, then why bother making such an explosive claim? it just seems like another way to whip up public opinion in favor of some kind of intervention 
. The US is trying to justify military intervention under the guise of 'fighting terrorism'. It's a classic move. What's next? Labeling Cuba or Iran as terrorist organizations? 
Without concrete evidence, this looks like another Trump administration power grab. 
Marco Rubio wants to use Venezuela as a scapegoat for his own party's failures and undermine Maduro's legitimacy. I'd love to see some actual proof before jumping to conclusions. 
Where are the sources, Rubio? 
. rubio's declaration feels like a thinly veiled attempt to justify military intervention in venezuela, which is just not on 
i mean, come on, folks. if we're gonna label someone a terrorist, shouldn't we have some solid proof? 
It's just another example of the US trying to manipulate other countries into doing their dirty work for them. And Maduro gets painted as this 'drug lord-in-chief' - sounds like pure propaganda to me... 
The fact that there's no concrete evidence to back it up is major red flag in my book. We can't just go around labeling groups as terrorists without proof, or else we're basically creating a justification for some kind of regime change. It's not about Venezuela, it's about the US trying to expand its influence... 
. I mean, if they're not even sure what the Cartel de los Soles looks like, how can we trust they're on the right side of the law? 
. And let's be real, Venezuela has been through some dark times under Maduro's rule, but labeling him a 'drug lord-in-chief' just feels like a PR move 
. Can't we have a nuanced conversation about this instead of resorting to blanket statements and baseless accusations? 
I mean, a foreign terrorist organization without solid proof? That doesn't seem right. 
Is it just another way to label Maduro and Venezuela as bad guys so we can intervene or something? 
I don't get why they're not focusing on the real issues like poverty and corruption instead of making up these conspiracy theories. 
rubio's just trying to get attention for trump's failing policies in venezuela, this whole thing is a total farce 
Maduro's got nothing to do with any cartel, he's just a scapegoat for the us gov't's own failures to stabilize the country. and what's next, labeling china or russia as terrorists too? 
that's just how trump administration works – using scare tactics to justify military action without actual evidence 
Marco Rubio is literally trying to label Nicolás Maduro as a terrorist just because... like, he's in power 
. It's like the US is just trying to justify some kind of military intervention or something 
. And what about the people of Venezuela? Are they not important enough? 
. And what's with the sanctions? Just a way to squeeze Venezuela dry and maybe justify some military action down the line 
.
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it's just that with all the corruption in Venezuela, who really knows what's going on behind closed doors?