We are witnessing something unprecedented. In early January 2026, U.S. Marines—launched from the deck of the USS Gerald R. Ford—boarded foreign-flagged oil tankers in the Caribbean Sea. No UN mandate. No consent from the ships’ countries of registry. Just helicopters at dawn, armed men on deck, and crude oil seized under the banner of “Operation Southern Lance.” The target? Venezuela. The justification? Alleged links to “narcoterrorism.” The real goal? To flood the domestic market with cheap oil before the 2026 elections.

Let’s be clear: this is not law enforcement. This is military coercion in international waters. Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea—a treaty the U.S. itself helped shape—only a ship’s flag state has jurisdiction on the high seas. Abording foreign vessels without consent is illegal unless confronting piracy, slavery, or illicit arms/drugs trafficking with proper authorization. Oil from Venezuela does not meet those criteria under international law. Russia has already condemned these actions as blatant violations. Others will follow.

We built a rules-based order after World War II. We championed free trade, multilateralism, and the peaceful resolution of disputes. Now, we bypass courts, ignore allies, and act alone—not because we must, but because it’s faster, flashier, and fits neatly into a four-year electoral cycle.

China plans for decades. We plan for the next debate.
They build ports, railways, and energy grids across continents.
We seize tankers to manipulate gas prices before November.

This isn’t strength—it’s strategic exhaustion. It’s the behavior of a power that no longer believes it can win by persuasion, so it resorts to force. And yes, we still have the might to do it. But every unilateral raid erodes the very legitimacy that once made the world trust us.

Ask yourself: when did America become the nation that pirates oil in the Caribbean under the guise of justice? When did short-term political gain replace long-term national honor?

We are better than this.
Our democracy deserves more than fear-driven spectacle.
Our children deserve a future built on foresight—not on barrels stolen at gunpoint.

#America #ForeignPolicy #Caribbean #Venezuela #Decadence #RuleOfLaw #Fediverse

(1)- RTVE. “EEUU intercepta nuevo petrolero en su campaña de bloqueo sobre Venezuela”. 9 de enero de 2026. rtve.es/noticias/20260109/eeuu…

(2)- Deutsche Welle. “Estados Unidos intercepta otro petrolero en el Caribe”. 9 de enero de 2026. dw.com/es/estados-unidos-inter…

(3)- United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982), Article 110.