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IFJ-INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF JOURNALISTS SPUTNIK/TURKEY An expert assesses the tension in Venezuela: Will a new front open in the Caribbean? Tensions between Venezuela and the US are escalating over the Caribbean region. As tensions escalate, Venezuela has called for an "emergency" meeting of the United Nations (UN) Security Council due to US military activity. Associate Professor Esra Akgemci of Selçuk University assessed the tensions in the region for Sputnik. Tensions between Venezuela and the US escalated in the summer of 2025, reaching a peak with the US deploying troops to the Caribbean and striking several boats. Venezuela describes the US actions as "regime change," while the US, on the other hand, describes them as "the fight against drugs." While occasional heated exchanges of fire with boats were observed in the Caribbean, Colombian President Gustavo Petro commented on this situation, saying, “A new war front has opened: the Caribbean. There are indications that the last bombed boat belonged to Colombians.” Legitimizing with the ‘narco-state’ narrative Associate Professor Dr. Esra Akgemci, an expert in Latin American geopolitics, spoke to Sputnik about the tensions in the region and the background to the events. “The US is conducting harsh operations in the Caribbean against small boats allegedly originating from Venezuela under the pretext of ‘fighting drugs,’ and civilians have been reported killed in at least some of them. Not only law enforcement activities but also a regional military buildup are taking place,” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Akgemci explains the US actions as follows: Southern Command’s (SOUTHCOM) deployment of multiple warships to the region triggered Venezuela’s “defense exercises,” which Caracas perceived as a provocation targeting sovereignty. These operations, legitimized by the "narco-state" narrative, must be considered within the framework of the US's "regime change" policies. "Caracas views the boat raids as provocations aimed at creating the grounds for "regime change," says Akgemci, adding, "The harsh rhetoric coming from the Trump administration also reinforces this perception." What is the US up to? Assoc. Prof. Dr. Akgemci answers the question, "What is the US up to?" as follows: 1) Energy: In a context where the Essequibo crisis off the coast of Guyana is escalating, increasing the military presence in the Caribbean serves to create pressure on Venezuela's energy/maritime jurisdiction equations. 2) The "narco-state" framework: Pressure is being increased on the Maduro regime through narcotics/terrorism rhetoric, citing headlines like "Tren de Aragua." What is Tren de Aragua? Akgemci, who states that Tren de Aragua initially emerged as a prison gang established in the Tocorón prison in Aragua state, assesses the organization and its role in the tensions as follows: This organization was primarily associated with local crime, smuggling, extortion, and racketeering within Venezuela. In 2023, Venezuelan authorities announced that they had "dismantled" Tren de Aragua with the Tocorón operation and that the gang's "internal activities" had been largely disrupted. However, since the Trump era, the US administration has transformed the Tren de Aragua narrative into a "terrible, widespread cartel/terrorist organization." In 2025, the US State Department designated Tren de Aragua a "foreign terrorist organization." The US claims that it has recently carried out attacks on boats it claims belong to this organization. 'Another issue concerns migrants' Assoc. Prof. Dr. Esra Akgemci summarizes the situation as follows: Sources close to the Maduro regime claim that Tren de Aragua's capabilities, often portrayed as a "cartel," are not actually that advanced. Accordingly, Tren de Aragua is, at best, a prison-based organization at the level of a local criminal organization. While some of its former members are involved in organized crime in various regions, the claim that it ranks as a "regional terrorist organization" is argued to be exaggerated. However, Tren de Aragua is often described in the international press as "Venezuela's most powerful and only internationally dispersed criminal organization." Another issue concerns migrants. It is reported that there have been cases of detention, extradition/refoulement, and charges without conviction, particularly among migrant Venezuelans, alleging links to Tren de Aragua. Independent investigations have concluded that most of these have "found no gang affiliation." For example, an investigation following the extradition of 252 migrants from CECOT prison in El Salvador revealed no connection to Tren de Aragua. UNSC - Sputnik Türkiye, 1920, 10.10.2025 WORLD Venezuela has requested an urgent UNSC meeting regarding the activity in the Caribbean. Russia says it is preparing for this and will not leave the US alone in the world.