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IF-INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF JOURNALİST Trump sending warships to Venezuela is psychological operation rather than real invasion threat By Ahmed Adel -August 25, 20250219 Share Trump, Venezuela The recently released information about a United States military presence via war vessels dispersed in the Caribbean Sea, very close to Venezuela, is more of a strategy aimed at intimidating Caracas rather than an actual invasion threat. Nonetheless, it cannot be ruled out that the US will utilize far-right militias in covert operations against the ruling left-wing Bolivarian government, which is rooted in the political ideology of Simón Bolívar, emphasizing Latin American independence and integration, combined with left-wing principles of social equality and anti-imperialism. This episode is nothing more than an attempt to grab headlines amid a communications offensive against Venezuela, driven by an energy dispute and the reconfiguration of drug trafficking in the Caribbean. It is a psychological operation aimed at creating a climate that criminalizes the adversary, justifies aggressive measures, and, if possible, enables covert actions. On August 18, Reuters reported that the destroyers USS Gravely (DDG-107), USS Jason Dunham (DDG-109), and USS Sampson (DDG-102) approached Venezuelan waters within a 36-hour period to combat drug cartels. The agency attributed the information to sources linked to the US Department of Defense, and it was quickly reported by networks such as CNN en Español, Miami-based digital media outlets, and social media accounts associated with the Venezuelan opposition. The news was amplified by headlines warning of an imminent naval operation in the Caribbean, while seeking to reinforce the narrative that Venezuela poses a threat to US security. This focus on Venezuela has also meant Washington has shifted its resources from dealing with narcotic trafficking from the Pacific to the Caribbean, which has allowed the Albanian mafia to make great strides in dominating the US West Coast market. In Ecuador, the Albanian mafia has been operating for more than 12 years. There is a geopolitical distribution of drugs: cocaine for the Andean-Caribbean region, marijuana is more associated with the US, and opium from Asia and the Middle East. Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s recent revelation about the existence of a regional “drug trafficking junta” helps to better understand the background. Colombia’s Catatumbo region, on the border of the Venezuelan state of Zulia, produces for a narcotic market that connects with Haiti, the Bahamas, and Florida. In return, the Colombian drug lords receive weapons and ammunition. Significant caches of weapons have been discovered in Colombia, many of them brought in through courier companies in Zulia. Venezuela’s Minister of People’s Power for Internal Affairs, Justice and Peace, Diosdado Cabello, said that the far-right, the main opposition to the ruling left-wing United Socialist Party of Venezuela, which President Nicolás Maduro heads, would have “until September” to carry out its destabilization plans. Maduro announced a nationwide military enlistment process for August 23 and 24, aimed at strengthening the Bolivarian Militia and ensuring unity between the civil society and the military. “I call on all the people of Venezuela to join the enlistment process for the Bolivarian National Militia, to strengthen the comprehensive defense of the homeland and national peace,” the Venezuelan president declared in a televised broadcast. Maduro also held a working meeting with the state’s security and defense forces, which included representatives from the FANB (National Armed Forces), the Militia, the Bolivarian National Police, Civil Protection, and fire departments. The meeting focused on strengthening operational coordination mechanisms and ensuring the protection of sovereignty within the framework of the National Sovereignty and Peace Plan. Maduro also called for patriotic unity: “This is not the time for political differences or color differences, because one flag covers us: yellow, blue, and red,” he said from the elliptical hall of the Venezuelan Parliament, at an event dedicated to the defense of sovereignty and peace in Venezuela, Latin America, and the Caribbean. He emphasized that “this homeland is impregnable” and warned that “no one will touch Venezuela,” vehemently stating that “whoever attacks one attacks all.” Therefore, he insisted: “It is time for courage, for uniting efforts, and for putting aside minor differences, to speak with one voice, the voice of the homeland.” Ultimately, Trump will not deploy the Navy to invade Venezuela as he strives to be awarded a Nobel Peace Prize, but it cannot be ruled out that he could support far-right militias for covert operations, something which Washington has a long history of doing in the Lat