Since October, the Trump administration has carried out twenty lethal strikes on civilian vessels in the Caribbean, resulting in the deaths of dozens of people. In this expert panel, Laura Dib (WOLA), Brian Finucane (Crisis Group), Katherine Yon Ebright (Brennan Center for Justice), Sanho Tree (Institute for Policy Studies), and Amanda Klasing (Amnesty International) examine the legal, human rights, and geopolitical implications of these incidents—described by panelists as “extrajudicial executions.”
Panelists emphasize that the Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) designation, a major point of focus for government justification for the strikes, does not permit the use of force without congressional oversight.
The discussion also explores how corruption and the systematic dismantling of democratic institutions have allowed illicit economies to thrive under Nicolás Maduro’s authoritarian rule, deepening the suffering of ordinary Venezuelans. Speakers analyze the uncertainty of current U.S. policy, warning that certain approaches may unintentionally strengthen Maduro’s hold on power and push Venezuela even further from a meaningful democratic transition.
